A Safe Haven
by Mistyeye
Summary: Sequel to Hotwire, best to read that first for this to make sense. Three weeks after the fall of the prison a search for those missing leads to a chance encounter and the possibility of a new safe home. Is it too good to be true?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N Finally uploading the sequel. chapter one has been written for weeks but I've had several family issues, not least my daughter being in hospital for the past 7 weeks due to a severe bleed on the brain. She's home now and making a good recovery so the urge to write has returned. Please read and review, I've missed the love. Thank you and enjoy**.

Chapter 1

It had been almost three weeks since they had lost the prison. Three weeks of moving from place to place, trying to stay ahead of the herds, trying to find a safe place. Most of all it had been three weeks of trying to find those they had lost. None of them wanted to admit it but they were beginning to lose hope.

A few days after the Governors lethal attack Rick, Daryl and Glenn had returned to the devastated prison. Most of the walkers had moved on and they had picked their way through the rubble and debris, trying to find any sign of those missing. Each body was checked, and while they hoped not to find a face they recognised they knew it would at least bring some form of closure.

Half buried under a pile of walkers with their heads caved in, alongside an empty rifle Daryl found a familiar baseball bat. He held it up, showing it to Rick.

"It's Tess's, remember her puttin' the tape on the handle, makes it easier to grip" he told him softly as he looked at the bodies.

"Looks like she took out a good few then she must've got outnumbered" He kicked angrily at the corpses by his feet.

"No sign of her here, guess she turned and wandered off" He dropped the bat and cursed.

"We bought her here, told her she'd be safe"

Rick put a hand on his shoulder.

"None of us expected the Governor to turn up with a tank and an army" He tried to reassure his friend but his voice trailed off when they both saw Glenn standing in front of them. He looked devastated as he held out a bulky black backpack, diapers spilling out from the unfastened flap.

Rick took a few hesitant steps towards the younger man.

"Is that….?" He couldn't finish.

Glenn nodded.

"It's Judith's" he confirmed sadly "Rick, I'm so sorry. Beth had Judith and she had this bag. I don't think she would ever just leave it behind. That must mean….." He stopped his voice breaking a little as he thought of his wife's sister and how he knew she would die to protect the baby in her care.

"I'm so sorry" he said again, knowing it was inadequate but not knowing what else to say. Rick took the bag from him and clutched it to his chest as he stumbled away from the two men. He hadn't held out much hope of finding his baby daughter alive but this made it final, this destroyed that last tiny hope of seeing her again.

They couldn't stay any longer, it was just too difficult. Silently they made their way back to the truck they had arrived in. They were almost there when Daryl stopped, looking intently around the yard.

"My bike aint here" he looked hopefully at them "Maybe Merle took it, could be he got away. Could be he's got Beth an' Asskicker. Even he wouldn't leave them behind if he could help 'em" He ignored the looks Rick and Glenn exchanged.

"Maybe" Glenn tried to be diplomatic, but he wasn't even convincing himself. They had left it at that and climbed into the truck, returning to the rest of the group with the bad news.

Now almost three weeks later Rick and Daryl were returning from a run to a nearby town. They had stayed in the area near the prison while they searched but had pretty much stripped it clean. They would have to move on soon. They turned down a back road, heading to the farm they were staying in. They'd been there for four days now and not had a problem with walkers, but were expecting their luck to run out soon.

Passing a run-down diner they had already searched and found empty Daryl glanced idly out the window at the bike parked in the lot out the front. With a sudden curse he slammed the brakes on, throwing an unsuspecting Rick forward.

"What the….?" The deputy complained as he smacked his head on the windshield.

"That's my damn bike" Daryl was out of the truck and running for the diner entrance, crossbow in hand.

"It weren't there when we went through this place the other week" Without stopping to check for danger he kicked the door open and charged in.

"Damn it" Rick muttered as he drew his gun and hurried to catch up.

There wasn't much light inside the diner but they could make out two bodies on the floor near the counter. Checking them over Rick noted they were human not walker. Both had died from a gunshot wound to the head. A noise behind the counter caught their attention. Cautiously, weapons raised they approached the end of the counter and peered round. A woman was slumped on the floor, back against the wall. Her matted hair hung over her face and her arms hung limply at her sides. Her clothes were filthy and bloodied. As they came closer she made a guttural groaning noise.

"Be a mercy to finish the poor bitch" Daryl raised his crossbow and took aim. As he did so the woman's arm came up and she lifted her head.

"Get the hell away" she mumbled, the gun in her raised hand shaking wildly as she struggled to point it at them.

Rick knocked the crossbow away.

"Tess?" he said incredulously. "Tess, its Rick and Daryl. Are you bit?" he moved closer to her but she didn't lower the gun. He realised it was his colt python, the gun he'd left behind at the prison.

"Stay away, already killed two, kill you as well" Her voice was weak and the gun was getting lower. Rick took a chance and rushed the last few steps, grabbing the python and pulling it from her weak grasp. She tried hitting out at him but had no strength left. Her arms fell back and she flopped against the wall again.

"Just kill me, get it over with" she whispered.

Rick reached out and cupped her cheek with his hand, flinching at how hot she felt to his touch.

"Tess, it's me, Rick. I'm not gonna hurt you but you have to tell me, are you bit?"

With a huge effort Tess managed to lift her head again. She stared at Rick and he saw brief recognition in her eyes.

"Not bit, shot" she flapped her hand towards her side "Think it's infected"

Daryl was at her side now and he lifted her shirt, revealing a six inch long gash just above her hip. It was swollen and red and looked as if it had been stitched but the stitches had been ripped open again. The wound had partially healed but it was clearly infected, leaking a foul smelling liquid. They could feel the heat of fever coming off her body.

"We need to get her back to Herschel, she's burning up" Rick checked the gun, noting it was empty, before shoving it into his waistband as he scooped her into his arms, she weighed next to nothing and he could feel her ribs and backbone through the filthy shirt. Daryl grabbed the bag that was next to her and swung it over his shoulder. As he went to go past them to get to the truck Tess managed to catch his arm.

"Pocket" she said "Key"

He frowned not getting what she was trying to say. She struggled against Rick and moved her hand to her jeans pocket.

"Key" she said again, this time a little louder. He reached into her pocket and pulled out a single key. He couldn't help the small grin as he realised what he was holding.

"He took it, we escaped" she tried to explain.

"Don't talk, you need to rest" Rick carried her outside and Daryl opened the back door of the truck. They laid her out on the backseat and Rick climbed behind the wheel, Daryl heading for the motor cycle, the familiar key in his hand.

"You go ahead on the bike" he told Daryl "Tell Herschel we're coming "

He pulled away and drove as fast as he dared, heading for the farm and praying they weren't too late to save the now unconscious woman on the back seat.

**Hope you liked it, chapter 2 up soon.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N **

**Thanks to lovely Emma Kellog for the kind review and thoughts. My daughter is doing so well it's unbelievable.**

**Thanks also to the guest reviewer and all those following and favouriting the first chapter.**

**This chapter deals with Tess's injury and treatment, I have no medical training or experience so please forgive me for any mistakes, I have to rely on Google for my information.**

**Disclaimer: As usual I sadly own nothing but Tess and any other OCs.**

**Enjoy.**

Chapter 2

As Daryl climbed onto the bike he wondered how Tess had managed to get away from the walkers long enough to get to it and get it started. The vintage machine was temperamental to say the least and sometimes needed two or three attempts to turn the engine. Even though it was unreliable and noisy he wouldn't willingly give it up. Not only was it now his last link to Merle but he loved the freedom it gave him. It started on the second attempt and he raced down the road, overtaking the truck. He flew down the track to the farm house and saw Glenn come out onto the porch, a grin on his face when he saw the bike.

"You found your bike, cool" the younger man exclaimed as he pulled up in front of the door and jumped off.

"Where was it?"

Daryl waved him away.

"Later, first we need Herschel."

Glenn's face dropped "Is Rick okay, what happened?"

"Rick's fine but we found Tess; she's in a bad way." Daryl pushed past Glenn and slammed into the house, yelling for Herschel.

"What's going on?" The old man hobbled out of the kitchen "Is Rick okay?"

"Rick's great, it's Tess that needs help" Daryl explained her injuries and the vet began to issue instructions.

"Maggie, I need you to get several pots of water on to boil, we going to have to sterilise everything real careful. Carol, you go find some clean sheets and tear them into strips." He began climbing the stairs "Glenn, you grab my medical bag and bring it to the bedroom at the front of the house" Finally he turned to Daryl.

"Find the sharpest knife with the thinnest blade you can and if possible try and find some scissors. Then take them to Maggie and tell her to sterilise them as best she can" Everyone hurried to follow their orders, no one questioned Herschel, he'd saved more than one of them on many occasion and they all trusted him with their lives.

The truck skidded to a halt outside and Rick carefully carried an unconscious Tess up into the bedroom. Herschel had stripped the bed down to just the bottom sheet and he instructed Rick to lay her down.

He lifted her shirt and studied the injury.

"Looks like it was stitched but she's ripped it open again. The wounds dirty and badly infected. By the bad smell and the discharge I'd say she's been like this for several days. She's lucky to be alive. We need to cool her down as well, she's burning up."

He glanced at the people huddled in the doorway.

"You all need to leave now. We have to remove her clothing and cover her with damp cloths to bring down her temperature. I'm going to have to open up the gash again and cut away the infected tissue before I can clean it up and stitch it again. We'll give her antibiotics and then it will be up to her."

Maggie and Carol entered the room with bowls of boiled water and several sheets cut into strips. Herschel sent his daughter to get buckets of cold water and towels to try and reduce the fever.

Once the room was cleared Carol removed Tess's filthy bloodied shirt and jeans, leaving her in just her underwear. With Maggie's help she soaked the towels and laid them over the motionless woman's body. Herschel took the knife that Daryl had found and Maggie had boiled clean and cut through the remaining stiches. Tess groaned as he reopened the wound and pulled out the broken threads. Using some of the torn sheet, which he soaked in the still hot water, he dabbed and cleaned the messy injury.

"It's so bad" Maggie whispered "How has she survived his long?"

"I honestly don't know" Herschel dropped the used cloth to the floor and reached for the small pair of sterilised scissors. Carefully he started to cut away at the infected tissue. Tess's eyes flew open and she screamed in pain, trying to push his hands away. She lurched forward, managing to sit up and tried to get to her feet. Maggie and Carol caught hold of her and attempted to pin her down on the mattress but she fought wildly, screaming obscenities at them and lashing out with her hands and feet.

"We're going to have to tie her down. I can't have her moving around this much." Herschel went to the door, asking for something to bind her with. Rick came into the room a few moments later, averting his eyes from the undressed woman as he handed over a couple of fabric belts from bath robes. Between them they managed to try Tess's arms to the bed posts. She fought hard, at first threatening and screaming and finally begging and pleading for them to let her go. She passed out again a few moments after the last knot was put in place.

"It's the fever, she's delirious. She doesn't know where she is or who any of us are." Herschel explained as a pale Rick backed out of the room. The Deputy went back downstairs to where the others were waiting.

"Is she going to be alright?" Carl asked, his eyes wide "Why was she screaming so much?"

Rick decided to be honest.

"She's hurt pretty bad" He explained "looks like she was shot a while back and stitched it, but the stitches are ripped open and the wounds real infected. She's lucky to still be alive. Herschel says he'll do what he can, but it will be touch and go if she makes it." The group were silent for a second, all wondering if any of the others that were still missing had made it.

Daryl broke the silence.

"She said he took it and we escaped" He said, referring to his bike.

"You think she meant Merle? Maybe he grabbed the bike, grabbed Tess and got them the hell out of there"

None of the others could bring themselves to crush the hopeful note in his voice. They were all thinking if Merle had survived and saved Tess why had he left her when she needed him the most? Either he was dead or he was long gone, abandoning her when she became too much of a liability. If he had left her then that raised the question why had he left his beloved bike behind? The awkward silence was broken by Hershel's return to the room.

"I've cleaned the wound and cut away the infected tissue then re-stitched it, luckily the infection doesn't appear to have got into her system, there's no obvious sign of blood poisoning. I've given her what antibiotics we have, which isn't much, so we need to find more from somewhere. We can't do anything else for her now other than try to keep her temperature down and pray the fever breaks soon" The old man sank wearily into a chair, his age showing for once.

"Maggie and Carol will take turns to stay with her tonight; they'll keep covering her with wet cloths to keep her cool. We know she's a fighter, all we can do is hope she's strong enough to get through this"

Glenn and Daryl decided not to wait until morning but headed out immediately to search for the medical supplies Herschel needed. They took the truck and headed off into the darkness, planning to scavenge from whatever houses they could find.

The two men were silent for a while, each lost in their own thoughts. Glenn was thinking about Beth and if there was any chance she had made it. He'd seen the pile of walkers with their heads bashed in near Tess's abandoned bat and empty rifle, there was no way she had escaped without someone's help, maybe that someone had also helped Beth and Judith. While he wanted to help her recovery, one of the main reasons he had gone on the drugs run was he knew they needed Tess to wake up. Maybe she could shed some light on what had happened to the others.

Daryl knew what the others were thinking about Merle, he knew none of them believed there was anything good in his older brother but he genuinely felt that Merle wouldn't leave a woman and baby behind if he could do anything to help them. He also believed that if it Merle had found the bike and seen Tess he would have gone back for her. He needed her to wake up so she could put his mind at rest. Both men felt bad that they were secretly only searching for the medicine needed for their own reasons.

In the bedroom Tess was fighting a nightmare she couldn't wake from. She could see nothing but walkers; she could hear nothing but groans and cries as the rotting hands reached for her. The stench of rotting flesh filled her nostrils as she swung the bat again and again. There were too many and she knew she'd never make it. The cars had gone and as far as she knew she was alone. She lashed out, knocking a walker back but two more took its place. A decaying hand grabbed her ankle and she felt her feet go from under her. As she hit the ground hands and teeth reached for her.

There was no room to swing the bat and she braced herself for the pain she knew was to come. A sudden gunshot deafened her and the closest walker fell back, half its head missing. A loud rumbling filled the air, followed by several more shots. Suddenly she was free enough to regain her feet.

"Come on, we need to get out of here now!" A strange voice yelled. She saw a man astride Daryl's motorbike, the engine running as he held one hand out to her, a pistol gripped in the other. With only the slightest hesitation she reached out and grasped his out stretched hand. He pulled her onto the bike behind him and they roared off, leaving the prison burning behind them.

Maggie and Carol watched as Tess thrashed around on the bed. She cried out and whimpered, calling words they couldn't understand. Between them they kept her body covered in damp towels, changing them as soon as they begin to dry out. After a couple of hours her temperature began to drop and she settled back into a fitful sleep.

Daryl and Glenn had returned with a small amount of antibiotics and some antiseptic spray. Herschel checked on her through the night and by morning decided the fever had broken.

"She's still at risk" he told them "Weak and dehydrated, vulnerable to any other infection, but she seems to be over the worse"

**Hope you enjoyed it.**

**Chapter 3 will be up soon and will start dealing with the aftermath of finding Tess and losing the prison and the others.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N **

**Thanks for all the follows and favourites.**

**Enjoy**

Chapter 3

It was almost three days later and Michonne was taking a turn in sitting with Tess when she heard the croaking voice asking for water.

With a rare smile she helped Tess take a few sips before calling for Herschel. Once he had given her a thorough check over he declared her out of danger. Maggie and Carol had found some clothes that just about fit and helped her dress. Some more water and a few mouthfuls of weak soup later and Tess decided she was starting to feel human again.

"Are you up to visitors yet?" Rick was hovering in the doorway, managing to look awkward and desperate at the same time. Behind him she could see Daryl and the others. She knew what they wanted.

"Sure" she told him, giving him a tired smile as he slipped into the room, followed by Maggie and Daryl. Herschel stepped forward as the others tried to squeeze into the small bedroom.

"I think three's plenty for now" he told them as he steered them downstairs.

It was silent for a few seconds, no one wanting to be the first to ask what they all needed to know. Rick was the first to speak.

"So, how are you feeling?" he started, surprised when Tess gave a short laugh.

"I'm doing okay" she told him "Now just ask what you all really want to know. How did I get out and did I see who else made it" She smiled again to show there were no hard feelings.

"I saw Glenn and Maggie make a run for the woods, just after Carol and Herschel made it out in one of the cars. You, Carl, Daryl and Michonne were the last I saw leave, just after I got shot and Merle left with Judith and Beth. I headed for the cell block to..." She trailed off when she saw the expressions on their faces

"Judith got out alive!?" Rick breathed.

"With Beth?' Maggie questioned, eyes filling with tears.

"Merle got 'em out?' Daryl tried not to sound smug or say I told you so but he was thinking it.

"I had Beth and Judith with me, we were trapped by the Governor's people and Merle saved us. We were heading for the car when I got hit. Merle took them and they got away. He couldn't get to the gate so he went through the broken down fence" Tess explained "They didn't meet up with you after?"

The looks on Rick and Maggie's faces told her the answer.

She saw Daryl staring at her.

"Why didn't you go with them?" he asked

"Didn't know how bad I'd been shot" she replied "I couldn't risk anything happening to Judith or Beth if the worse happened'

Even though Rick's mind was reeling with the news that Judith had escaped the attack alive he still heard what Tess said. He realised that she risked her own life to make sure his daughter was kept safe.

"How did you get out?" he stared at her.

"We went back to the prison, saw the walkers you'd killed and found your bat. How'd you make it out alive?"

"I went to the cell block, got some meds and supplies, then tried to fight my way out. There were too many and they bought me down. I thought that was it until this guy turned up on Daryl's bike. He shot a load of them, hurled me on the back of the bike and we got the hell out of there. Turns out he was one of the Governor's men, didn't like what had happened. He thought if he saved me he could redeem himself a little" Tess hesitated, a sad look coming over her face.

"We holed up in a house we found and he stitched me up. Neither of us knew what we were doing so it wasn't the best job but it did. We stayed there a few days 'till we ran out of food and water then hit the road searching for you guys. A week or so back we ran into a group of men who thought they could take what they wanted from us. The guy, Leo, tried to protect me and they shot him in the stomach and came for me. I was still too injured to fight them off for long and they grabbed me, pinning me down. They were so busy thinking about what they were going to do they forgot about what they'd already done. Leo had died from the gunshot and turned, he came after them and I managed to get to the bike and get away. I found the diner and stayed there, the stiches had got ripped out when I was fighting the men, I had no supplies and only three bullets left in Rick's gun. I was in a bad way when the two surviving men from the group found me. I managed to shoot them but that was it, I had nothing left. The infection set in and I was just waiting to die when you two found me." She nodded to Rick and Daryl.

"You saved me, thank you" Exhausted Tess sank back into the pillows as Maggie helped her take some sips of water.

Rick risked a glance at Daryl, who to his credit was keeping his face blank.

"Seems like we were all wrong about Merle, it looks like he stepped up when he needed to, did the right thing."

Daryl met the ex-cops eyes.

"Knew he would" he said quietly before turning to leave the room.

"I'm gonna head back to the prison, see if I can find any sign of where they went. Now we know they didn't go through the gate I can see if I can pick up any tracks"

"Wait!" Tess's voice stopped him, as she struggled to get up from the bed.

"I'm coming with you" He was already shaking his head as she pulled herself unsteadily to her feet.

"You aint strong enough yet, gonna need to rest up a bit more" he tried to tell her as she looked around for her bag, before remembering there was nothing left in it worth having.

"I'm the only one knows which way they went" she rationalised "It'll save time if I can point you in the right direction"

Daryl knew she was right but he didn't want to take her with him. It was too dangerous, she was still too weak and if he was completely honest he still wasn't sure he'd forgiven her for when they'd first met. He was just glad that Merle hadn't been there to see him get injured by a skinny, slip of a girl. not once but twice.

It was Rick who made the final decision.

"You two should go ahead on the bike" he stated. "Find a trail while the rest of us pack up the cars here and we'll meet you at the prison in a few hours. Then we can all continue the search"

Maggie sided with Rick and Tess was already pulling on the thick jacket that Carol had left for her. Outnumbered and desperate to get away to begin the search Daryl gave in.

Twenty minute later and he was flying down the road with Tess clinging to his back. Herschel hadn't been happy about her leaving so soon but understood the need. Selfishly he also wanted them to go as his youngest daughter was one of those they were looking for.

It wasn't long before they arrived back at the silent remains of their former home. The yard was almost clear of walkers and the burned out buildings were silent. There was an eerie, desolate feel about the place and neither spoke as they climbed off the bike. Daryl reached out an arm and steadied Tess as she stumbled, her legs still weak from the injury.

"You gonna be okay?" he asked moodily, still annoyed he'd had to bring her with him.

"I'll be fine" she snapped as she pulled away, heading to the last place she'd seen Merle and the others.

"They went that way" she pointed to a broken down section of fence. "He followed the tree line at the edge of the field for a while, and then turned into the trees; I guess there must be a track of some kind."

Daryl grunted an acknowledgement, he knew where she meant, it was an old deer track he'd followed several times when out hunting. Swinging his crossbow in front of him he set off at a jog, the woman struggling to keep up with him.

Tess was out of breath and her side hurt from the gunshot wound, she was afraid she would rip the stitches out again but refused to ask Daryl to slow down. Forcing herself on she tried to keep up with the determined hunter ahead of her. They had reached the track and were heading into the forest when he stopped suddenly, shooting her a glare when she bumped into his back.

"We're being watched" he hissed, raising his weapon, narrowed eyes searching the gloom of the trees around them. Tess pulled out the gun Rick had given her and the two stood back to back, trying to watch all directions at the same time.

"It's best you lower your weapons, there's too many of us, you don't stand a chance" A calm male voice rang out somewhere ahead of them.

Daryl swung the bow around, aiming towards the voice.

"You too pussy to show yerself?" he snarled "Gotta hide away like some little girl"

The man laughed.

"I'll show myself, but just remember you and your lovely friend are surrounded. One wrong move and you're both dead"

There was a movement in the undergrowth and a tall man came into view. He was somewhere near his mid-thirties with dark blonde hair and piercing green eyes. He held a rifle down by his side, his other hand held out to show it was empty. He caught Tess's eye and gave her a big smile.

"Nice to see a pretty face round here" he commented. At once Daryl stepped in front of her, blocking the man's view.

"You don't even look at her" he growled, keeping his weapon aimed at the man's head.

The stranger laughed again.

"Sorry man, don't want to step on anyone's toes here. She's yours, we all get that" Tess opened her mouth to correct him but a look from Daryl stopped her.

The man studied them for a few seconds before speaking again.

"You folks on your own?" he asked.

"Aint your concern" Daryl matched his stare.

"Only it looks like your lady could do with a bit of help. Maybe a safe place to stay, somewhere to rest up for a while" The man nodded at Tess. "Looks like she's hurt. We can help you out"

"Don't need your help. We're doin' fine"

Daryl's eyes flicked to Tess briefly, just to check she was still alright. That brief second of distraction was all it took. The man leapt forward, crashing into Daryl, knocking the crossbow away. Instantly Daryl retaliated, swinging a punch forcing the man back. Two more men charged out of the forest, reaching out to restrain the hunter. Tess swung her gun, hitting one of the men on the back of the head. With a muffled curse he span round and lashed out. The gun flew from her hand and she was grabbed from behind as another man arrived.

"Don't fight" he muttered into her ear as he pinned her arms behind her. "We don't want to hurt you"

She tried to free herself but his grip was too tight. Her arms were bound behind her and she was pulled away from the struggling men. It took four of them but finally Daryl was subdued and his hands also roped behind him. Tess noticed that the men had used the least amount of violence possible. They were all far more battered than Daryl.

The blonde man stepped forward again.

"We really don't want to hurt you, you're only restrained for our protection. When we get back to our camp we'll explain everything."

"Why're you so damn keen to take us back?" Daryl was still struggling in his captors hold, trying to get free.

"We made a promise to a friend that we would take back anyone we found in this area. He warned us that some may be more willing than others, told us to take care" The blonde man started to lead the way through the trees.

They were guided carefully and slowly along the track until they reached a narrow paved road. Three cars were parked there and they were lead to separate vehicles. The man holding Tess's arm opened the door and helped her inside, carefully protecting her head so she didn't knock it on the door frame.

"Don't be scared" he told her as he slipped the seat belt over her. "I promise we aren't going to hurt either of you"

She was tired and had no energy left to fight, her side was hurting again and all she wanted to do was sleep. She tensed as the man slid into the backseat alongside her.

"Forgive me but I have to do this. We have to keep the location of our camp safe" As he spoke he slipped a cloth bag over her head. The last thing she saw was Daryl twisting and fighting as he was shoved into the back of another car.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N Thanks again to EmmaKellog for reviewing and all the new followers and all those favouriting. Hope you are still enjoying it.**

Chapter 4

The journey only lasted a short while before the cars stopped again. Tess was assisted from the car, hands guiding her carefully and preventing her from falling. She heard Daryl calling her name and managed to reply, letting him know she was okay. With the bag still over her head and her arms still bound she was lead into some kind of building. She could hear people's voices, which grew quieter as she got closer.

Finally the bag was pulled from her head and she blinked in the bright light streaming in through several large windows. A group of about 40 people, including women and children, stood in a cluster, all staring at her. Turning her head she saw Daryl squinting in the light as a bag was removed from his head. He caught her eye and tried to give her a reassuring look.

"You okay?" he called gruffly.

"I'm fine" she replied "How about you?"

Before he could reply mocking laughter filled the room.

"Well aint that sweet?" a familiar voice drawled. "Little bro all trussed up like a thanks giving turkey and still worryin' 'bout your skinny ass"

Merle sauntered over, a lazy grin on his face as he used his blade to cut through the ropes binding them.

"Where you been Darlina?" he teased "You been shacked up with this lil' piece the last few weeks instead o' looking for your kin?"

"Shut the hell up, asshole" Daryl snapped "I bin looking for you since the prison. Seems like you're the one not bothering, not now you got yourself some nice little set up here" Daryl waved his arms toward the group of people, not caring that they were all watching with interest. He shoved at Merle's chest.

"How hard you been looking for me?" he demanded. Merle shoved him back.

"I've been out every damn day. I even got these kind folks here looking out for you and the others every time they went out on a run. Got them to bring back anyone they could find"

The two brothers faced each other, both poised ready to throw the first punch. An indignant voice stopped them.

"Merle Dixon, is that anyway to greet your brother after all this time?" Beth made her way over to them, giving Merle a stern look. He stepped away from Daryl, lowering his head and not meeting her accusing stare.

"Guess not, but he's bein' an asshole" he muttered

"You mind your language in front of the kids and stop acting like a child" The little blonde scolded him, much to the amusement of Tess and Daryl.

"You let this little girl pussy-whip you now?" Daryl teased "When'd you get so damn soft?"

Merle opened his mouth to retaliate, but Beth got there first.

"Same goes for you, Daryl, no cussin' near the little ones" she warned.

Tess couldn't hold back the laugh as the two Dixon brothers looked suitably chastised.

"You've changed in the last couple of weeks" She held out her arms and embraced the younger woman. "Toughened up a lot"

Beth smiled "Out on the road with Merle I had to. There was no way I was going to let his bad behaviour rub off on Judith"

Daryl's head snapped round.

"Where's lil' Ass….? " At her warning look he stopped himself. "I mean Judith" he asked.

"She's sleeping in the nursery with the other babies. I'll take you there" Beth hesitated.

"Do you know if the others made it?" she asked slowly "My Daddy, Maggie, Rick"

"They all made it, they're all safe" Tess informed her "In fact we were meant to be meeting them at the prison this afternoon. They're probably there now, wondering where we are"

Beth turned her big blue eyes to Merle.

"Can you go and find them, bring them back here" she pleaded "Please"

Merle gave a shrug.

"I guess so" he said grudgingly.

"Now wait up Beth" the blonde man stepped towards them. "I think we need some introductions before you go bringing in anymore folks"

He faced the two newcomers.

"I'm Scott Edwards and this is our town" He indicated the people surrounding them "We started our community a few months after it all went to hell with just half a dozen people. Others either found us or we found them and now there's about 55 in total. Merle and Beth came to us a couple of weeks ago. In fact, if it weren't for them, I wouldn't be here."

"Damn right" Merle slapped him on the back and laughed out loud.

"Ol' Scottie here got himself trapped on the road in a broken down car, surrounded by walkers. Beth insisted we stop and rescue his sorry ass" he explained, flashing a grin at Beth as she took over the story.

"He bought us back here and let us stay. He and his people go out every day searching for survivors and supplies. We asked him to keep an eye out for anyone near the prison" The young blonde glanced at Merle and he took up the explanation again.

"Asked him to bring anyone they could find, but to watch out. Figured some of the Governor's crew could still be around. We was beginning to think no one else had made it" Merle draped an arm across Daryl's shoulders.

"Should've known lil' bro' would get out. Aint no mad son of a bitch can kill a Dixon, even if he has got a tank" The older Dixon brother studied Tess for a few seconds.

"Guess I'm glad you made it too. Blondie here was real upset when we left you behind. Wouldn't stop yelling at me for damn hours"

Daryl was looking between Beth and Merle; he'd never seen his brother so calm and relaxed. Being with Beth for the last few weeks had clearly rubbed off on him. He had always known she was one of those people who always saw the best in others and lived a life full of hope. Her singing had always got on his nerves, as far as he was concerned there was nothing worth singing about anymore, but it seemed her optimism and goodness had had an effect on his volatile older brother. He hoped it was nothing more than a friendship as he didn't fancy Merles chances against an enraged Herschel and Maggie if it had developed into anything more.

A quick discussion with Scott and a couple of others from the town and it was decided that Merle and Daryl would return to the prison and find the rest of the group, bringing them back to meet everyone before a final decision was made as to whether or not they could stay.

Beth took Tess to the town infirmary where a Doctor checked her over, redressed the wound, scolded her for running around the woods and insisted she had complete bed rest for the next 24 hours.

She managed to stay in bed for almost four hours before realising the others had returned. As soon as the Doctors back was turned she sneaked away to greet her friends. There were hugs and tears all around as everyone was finally reunited. Even Merle had to clear his throat loudly and turn away when Rick and Carl finally held Judith for the first time in three weeks, thanking him endlessly for saving and protecting her. He didn't know what to do when Maggie unexpectedly hugged him in gratitude for looking out for her baby sister.

The townsfolk laid on an exceptional meal that evening and the atmosphere was festive as the prison survivors tucked into the best meal they had eaten in weeks. Even before the fall of the prison things had been hard but here they grew their own crops and successfully reared chickens and pigs as well as goats, ducks and geese. A few bottles of wine somehow found their way onto the tables and the two groups became acquainted over shared toasts and good natured banter.

They were invited to join the small community and accepted almost without hesitation. As Beth and Carol walked her back to the infirmary, intent on making sure she stayed at least the night there, Tess found herself thinking that maybe, at last, they had found a place they could call home, a safe haven. She could only hope that it stayed that way.

**A/N Sorry, a bit short and not very exciting but I just needed to get everyone back together. It gets more interesting in the next few chapters**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N Sorry for delay in posting but struggling to find time to write at the moment. This is a bit short and slow but next chapter is almost done and will be up soon. **

**Thanks for reading**

**xxx**

Chapter 5

They had been at the town for several weeks and everything was as close to perfect as it could be in the circumstances. There were fences around the whole town, seven foot high chain link wire reinforced with wood and metal plates sunk deep into the ground, the whole thing topped with razor wire. Like the prison, every able bodied person had to take shifts at clearing the walkers that gathered at the fence and there was a four hour shift pattern for watch duty on the many platforms built into the barrier. The only way in or out was through a heavily defended gate near the edge of the town. Every available bit of land was used to grow crops and vegetables or to raise livestock and water came from a channel, dug under the fence leading to a nearby stream. This supply was supplemented by barrels collecting rainwater from every rooftop. Hunting parties went out two or three times a week, bringing in fresh meat, much of which was cured and stored. Groups went out almost daily on supply runs to find the things that couldn't be grown or made but for the most part the town was pretty much self-sufficient.

The town was a sub division consisting of about 30 houses. The prison group had been given two properties close to the fence. Rick, Carl and Judith shared one, along with Carol and Michonne, while Herschel, his two daughters and Glenn had the other. Daryl and Merle preferred not to stay in any particular house and slept wherever they found a space. In Merle's case this had recently been the bed of a woman called Jessica. She was a couple of years younger than him with fiery red hair and a temperament to match. Their loud and frequent disagreements became legendary around the town, causing smiles and eye rolls whenever they were heard. Less popular were the times when they made up after yet another row. Merle still hadn't learned discretion or subtlety, or even just when to keep the volume down.

Tess wasn't sure which group she fitted into but was always welcome at the Greene's home. She spent her nights on the couch there. Once Scott had realised that she and Daryl weren't a couple he had tried repeatedly to get close to her but while she stayed friendly, she made it clear she wasn't interested. Finally he gave up, consoling himself that it wasn't just him, she showed no attraction to anyone.

A supply run had been arranged to a large housing development and supermarket about 40 miles away. It was thought that there was more likely to be salvageable items in individual houses than in towns or malls. Several people were going, taking two trucks and a car and it was expected to take a couple of days. Daryl decided to go, insisting on taking his bike. He was going crazy stuck behind walls for so long and there was only so much of Merle and his new girlfriend he could take. He liked Jessica and was glad Merle had found someone who could give as good as she got but he needed a break from it all. He was also aware that he didn't fit in as well as the others from the prison; he wasn't comfortable being in such a large group and didn't like taking orders from Scott and the other town leaders. He knew people talked about him and saw the scathing looks he received as he walked around the town in his torn, dirty clothes, his battered crossbow across his back. He knew they thought of him as just a dumb redneck and tried not to let it bother him. For some reason they all accepted Merle for who he was, maybe spending so long at Woodbury had made his brother understand how to play the game of dealing with people.

He could feel the eyes of those going on the run boring into his back as he revved the bikes engine, ready to leave. He saw two of them turn to Scott and guessed they were complaining about the noise. It wouldn't be the first time. He revved again, just because he could, glaring as a young man turned to scowl at him.

"Why'd you let him use that thing? It draws every biter for miles" The man complained to Scott. A young woman joined in.

"Why do you let him come with us at all? He doesn't work well in a team. He's always going off on his own and disregarding any plan we have"

Scott smiled at the brother and sister in front of him.

"That's all true but he's a damn good hunter and he seems to know the places to look when we're out. He's provided a lot for this group so I'm prepared to overlook the lack of social grace" His smile widened "As for the bike, it's just so damn cool"

"But he's so rude and stand-offish" The woman, Maria, pouted "I tried to talk to him about something and he just told me to mind my own business and to go away" she hesitated slightly "only he wasn't quite as polite about it as that"

"What did you say?" Scott was curious.

"I only suggested he might want to go and see if there were any clean clothes in the store and that perhaps a shower would be a good idea" Maria couldn't see anything wrong with her words.

Scott fought back a smile.

"You don't think that might have been a little offensive?" he queried.

"I was trying to be helpful" she huffed "He's not going to fit in until he makes himself more presentable"

Wandering over to see them off Tess had heard the end of the conversation, she'd heard similar before and it annoyed her that the people complaining were the first in line for the game Daryl provided or the supplies he helped bring back. She also knew he had saved several of these people from walkers or other dangers.

She made a decision as she walked over to Scott.

"You got room for one more on this trip?" she asked, smiling when he nodded.

"You can ride with me in the car. We can have a good old girly chat" Maria tried to take Tess's arm, like they were best friends planning a sleepover. Tess shrugged her arm free.

"I don't think so" she told the young woman "I'd rather get bitten by a walker. I'll be going on the bike" She stalked away, leaving Maria and her brother, Daniel, speechless and Scott hiding a grin behind his hand.

Daryl watched as she approached a smirk on his face.

"You sure you can handle the stink?" he quipped "I aint had a shower for a while"

Tess gave him a small smile and leant forward, planting a kiss on his cheek, just to make a point. She took his extended hand and climbed onto the back of the motorcycle, clutching him tightly around the waist, deliberately leaning in close, watching the look of disgust on Maria's face. The relationship between Daryl and Tess confused people, they were clearly not a couple and sometimes it seemed they could barely tolerate each other but each one would defend or protect the other from any threat without fail. They didn't understand it themselves but it worked and they lived with it.

"Hope you aint expecting any good ol' chat" Daryl kicked the foot stand up and circled the bike around to the front of the other vehicles as they began to pull away towards the gate. He heard Tess laugh behind him.

"I expect you to be your usual silent, brooding self" she said as the gate was opened and the small convoy left the safety of the town.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N Sorry for delay in updating but life is still hectic at the moment and I'm finding it hard to make the time to write. Please let me know what you think as I'm struggling a bit with this one and would love to know if you think it's worth continuing. It will get more exciting in the next chapter I promise :)**

**Thanks for any feedback. **

Chapter 6

It took a couple of hours before they arrived at the housing development and parked in the street. Scott split them into pairs, resisting the urge to pair Maria with Daryl and himself with Tess. Instead he sent Daryl on his own, as he knew he preferred it that way and Tess with a middle aged man who used to teach soccer to high school kids. He paired Maria with Daniel and himself with Susan, a woman in her 50's, who was one of the original group that had set up the community with him. They all headed to their allocated buildings and began to search.

Richard, the soccer coach was clearly nervous at being paired with Tess. She had earned a reputation as being cold and aloof in the town. Several of the single men, and one optimistic young woman, had all tried to hit on her and got nowhere. She tried to put him at ease, getting him to talk about the kids he'd taught and he began to loosen up, making her laugh at some of the tales he told of the things the kids got up to.

The search went quickly and they all found several useful things before meeting back at the vehicles, quickly filling them with the goods they had found. The plan was to stay the night in the development and then travel to a small supermarket a few miles away before heading for home.

They cleared out a few straggling walkers and made a large house secure, stringing up ropes of cans across the external doors and covering the windows with blankets. Maria and Susan produced a palatable meal from some canned goods and they settled down for the night.

It seemed to Tess she had barely closed her eyes when something caused her to wake with a start. Blinking she sat up, glancing around the room. She could see the others still sleeping, except for Daniel who was out the front on watch. Carefully she got to her feet, trying not to disturb anyone as she made her way out of the room. She was heading to the kitchen at the back of the house when she heard the tin can alarms clanging. Drawing her gun she cautiously reached out to move the blanket over the window, trying to see outside. Before she could touch the fabric a hand clamped over her mouth and a strong arm was wrapped around her waist. She was pulled backwards into a small utility room just as the front door slammed open and several people rushed into the house.

"S'just me, girl" a familiar voice drawled in her ear as the hand was removed from her mouth.

"Saw 'em comin' and had to get you outta sight damn quick" Daryl was behind her, his arm still around her waist.

"How'd they get in, where's Daniel?" she whispered as they heard the shouts of the intruders, mixed with the confused yells of those they had awakened.

"Couldn't see him out there, don't think he made it" Daryl let go of her and raised his crossbow, moving towards the door.

"You got your gun ready?" he asked, ignoring her indignant look when he told her to stay behind him. Together they crept towards the living room.

Six strangers were there, guns aimed at the sleepy group. Scott tried to stand and was shoved back down by a scruffy, bearded man.

"Where's the rest of you?" he demanded "The big guy with the crossbow and the good lookin' woman"

Scott shook his head "They're not here, they went off for some 'alone time' if you know what I mean" He smirked and raised his eyebrows suggestively, then gave a yelp of pain as the butt of a rifle was driven into his stomach, causing him to fold in half.

"Don't try to bullshit me" the man stood over him "No one left this house, we've been watching you a while" He studied the people huddled in front of him, his gaze stopping on Maria.

"You aint as hot as the other one but you'll do for now" Reaching out he grabbed a handful of her hair and yanked her to her feet, pushing her towards one of his colleagues.

"Go put her in the truck with the rest of the goods. We'll finish up in here then be out in a minute" Maria was dragged from the room, pleading and struggling. Scott and Richard both lunged forward and a swing of a rifle bought the former soccer coach down.

"Dumb move old timer" the bearded man aimed his gun, his finger on the trigger. Susan gave a cry as a shot rang out. The bearded man looked surprised as a red stain began to spread over his grubby shirt. He turned and met cold, hazel eyes before he fell forward, the life leaving him as he bled out on the rug. Tess fired again and a second man fell. A third was taken out by a bolt through the throat. The two remaining dived for cover, one throwing himself behind a couch. The other grabbed Susan and held her in front of him, a handgun pushed against her temple.

"Drop your weapons or I'll kill her" he stuttered as he backed away from the advancing Tess and Daryl.

"Then what you gonna do?" Daryl asked pleasantly as he pointed the crossbow at the man's head, distracting him long enough for Scott to jump him from behind. Within seconds he was disarmed and forced to his knees. The one who had taken shelter behind the couch threw his gun out and slowly got to his feet, raising his hands.

"Don't kill us" he pleaded "we didn't mean no harm, just tryin' to survive, same as you"

"We don't rob or kill to survive or try and take women against their will" Scott spat out, as he shoved the second man to the floor alongside the his companion. He glanced at Daryl.

"One of the sons of bitches took Maria, we need to get her back" he grabbed a gun from the floor and headed for the door, leaving Susan and David to guard the captured men.

"Don't need to, jerk's already dead. Girls out the front, wouldn't come in 'cos she's looking for her jackass brother" Daryl removed the bolt from the dead man and straightened up.

"You left her out there?" Susan was incredulous "alone? What kind of idiot are you, what if there's more of this group out there?"

"Dumb bitch insisted on staying outside. I aint gonna babysit her or drag her sorry ass back in if she don't want it" Daryl retorted as he turned away. Tess was sure she saw a flash of hurt in his eyes before it was replaced with anger.

"Sick of the whole damn lot of yer, always looking down yer noses at me. I aint comin' back to your lousy little town" He snatched up his bag and stuffed some cans of food into it before storming out the door.

"Happy now?" Tess snapped at the now silent group as she took off after him.

She found him outside, stuffing his pack into the saddlebag of his bike.

"Daryl" she reached out and caught his arm. He shrugged it off, turning away from her.

"You don't have to go. What about Merle, Rick and the others?" Tess tried to reason with him.

"You just tell 'm I said goodbye. Merle'll be alright, he's got Jess now. She's good for him"

He swung his leg over the saddle and reached for the key. Tess snatched it from the ignition before he could start the engine.

"Merle's got Jess but who have you got?" she asked quietly, keeping out of his reach.

"Aint had nobody most my life, don't need no-one now, better off alone" Daryl refused to meet her eye as he held his hand out for the key. Tess shook her head.

"Just come back inside, don't rush off" she turned at the sound of the front door opening. Susan stood there, an embarrassed expression on her face.

"Daryl" she stepped forward, her hands held out. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean what I said. I was scared and panicked but it's no excuse" She came closer, her regret obvious.

"You must have heard what Maria said before we left but you still saved her. You're a good man. Please forgive me and come back with us"

Daryl studied the older woman with narrowed eyes, about to reply when Maria stumbled towards them, tears rolling down her cheeks.

"I can't find him" she sobbed "I can't find Daniel" She collapsed against Susan as the older woman tried to offer comfort.

With an impatient sigh and a glare at Tess, daring her to comment, Daryl climbed from his bike.

"I'll go see if I can pick up some tracks" he muttered as he strode off, swinging his crossbow in front of him.

After several minutes he had found where Daniel had entered the trees around the edge of the property. Once there he found several sets of footprints, from both the living and dead. He studied them carefully, following some for a while before he returned to the group.

"Looks like he headed across the yard, into the woods, then met up with some trouble. Tracks show a group o' living were there, then some walkers showed up. Signs of a struggle and some fresh blood then the trail gets all messed up with too many prints" He glanced briefly at Maria's tear stained face.

"I can't see anything says he walked away safe. Looks like if those dicks that attacked us didn't get him the walkers did" He turned away, not wanting to see the woman's face or hear her gut wrenching sobs as she realised she had probably just lost her brother, her last living relative.

As he fiddled with the bike Susan approached him.

"Thank you" she said softly. "Thank you for trying. After the way we've behaved you didn't have to, but you did. Like I said before you're a good man and I really am sorry. Please come back with us"

Daryl gave her a curt nod before turning away.

"Need to get going if we're still gonna hit that store today" he threw over his shoulder as he entered the house.

**Thanks for reading**

xxxxxxx


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N Thanks to all for following and favouriting, I'm glad you're enjoying it.**

**Guest reviewer : Thanks for the review. This was never meant to be a Meth story. I was trying to show that Beth's hope and sweetness even rubbed off on Merle and that in the time they spent together on the road they became friends. There is certainly no romance and Merle now has Jess. **

Chapter 7

Scott and David had intimidated, questioned and bullied the last two men from the attackers into confessing that they were part of a much larger group. They told them how they survived by killing and stealing from other survivors they came across. They could see no wrong in this, declaring it was a dog eat dog world and everyone did what they needed to make it.

"What are we going to do with them?" Scott asked "We can' t just let them go, they'll bring the rest of their group down on us, but I'm not sure I can just kill them in cold blood" He glanced at each of the anxious faces watching him, waiting for his decision.

Susan slipped past him, standing in front of the two bound men.

"Where's the rest of your group, are they coming this way?" she demanded, trying to sound threatening.

"They'll come looking for us soon and there'll be too many for you to take on" one of them sneered "You'd best kill us and then start running 'cos Rob'll be out for vengeance when he sees what you've done here"

"He won't rest 'till every one of you's dead and he'll make sure it takes a long time" His eyes settled on Tess. "Some of you'll be begging for death before he's finished and he'll make the rest of you watch while he does it" He grinned up at Daryl, "He'll save you 'till last 'cos you're the strongest. He likes to break the strong one's by making them see their friends suffer" His gaze shifted to Susan, then Maria before settling on Tess again. "He'll really enjoy the fact you won't be able to do a thing to save your womenfolk"

Daryl stepped in front of him, blocking his view.

"He aint gonna get hold of any of us and you aint gonna be around to worry about it" He swung the heavy crossbow round, knocking the man out cold, before doing the same to his colleague.

"We need to get out of here now before any more of these assholes show up" He declared, starting to gather up the items scattered around the room.

"Do we just leave them like this?" Scott indicated to the unconscious men as Susan and David moved to help with the packing.

"You could slit their throats while they're lying there but I figure we'll be long gone by the time they wake up" Daryl handed a bag of food to David to take to the truck, before continuing.

"We should split up, head back to the town from different directions, taking a roundabout route, make sure no one follows us" He faced Tess, "You'd be best off in one of the other vehicles, bikes too noisy. It's the most likely to draw attention"

She flashed a small smile at him as she held up the bike key.

"You think I'm gonna let you disappear off by yourself? I want to make sure you come back to the town" she said quietly.

He gave her one of his best glares, feeling a flash of annoyance when it had no effect on her.

"Said I'd come back didn't I?" he muttered as he took several bags and loaded them into the back of the truck.

Less than ten minutes later they were on their way. David and Susan took the truck, while Scott tucked an unresponsive Maria into the passenger seat of the car. She'd barely spoken since Daryl had returned with the bad news about her brother and sat staring into space, with blank, red rimmed eyes.

Tess climbed onto the bike behind Daryl and handed him the key, ignoring his muttered complaints about pain in the ass women. The three vehicles left the house behind them and headed to the main road. Once there the truck and the car went in opposite directions. Daryl stopped the bike and half turned towards Tess.

"You wanna head to the supermarket, seeing as we're so close?" he asked "Might as well see if it's worth comin' back to later"

At her agreement he pulled onto the road and they headed towards the store they had planned on checking out. Once they arrived they could see it was completely stripped, the plate glass windows were smashed and the shelves inside empty. There was no point even going inside so they set off again, planning an indirect route back, checking frequently to make sure they weren't being followed.

They rode silently for several miles, making good time on the deserted roads. Rounding a bend Daryl pulled the bike to a sudden stop with a muffled curse. The road ahead was blocked by a large group of walkers. The noise of the bike had caught their attention and they were already shuffling towards it. Daryl made a quick U-turn and started to head back the way they had come but more walkers were spilling out of the trees and stumbling onto the road in front of them. He felt Tess's grip around his waist tighten as he tried to see a way around them. There was no way through, they were surrounded and the undead were getting closer.

Daryl stopped the bike, pulling his crossbow in front of him and taking out several of the closest.

"Aint gonna get through on the bike, they'll just pull us off" He jumped from the saddle, tugging Tess with him.

"Gonna have to make a run for it, try and lose them in the trees" He grabbed his bag and slung it over his shoulder as Tess snatched up her rifle. Clutching knives in their hands the two of them dashed into the trees, hearing the walkers in their relentless pursuit. A final glance over his shoulder and Daryl saw the abandoned bike knocked to its side by the sheer number of walkers pushing past it. Grabbing Tess by the wrist he pulled her along, increasing the pace.

They ran for what felt like miles and both were exhausted. No matter what they did they couldn't lose the indefatigable, rotting corpses. They could hear the guttural groans and the crashing of the decaying bodies as they followed them through the woods. They knew they couldn't go on much longer.

Suddenly the way ahead was lighter and the tree began to thin out. They burst out of the woods and found themselves on the edge of a rocky embankment. Only Daryl's quick reactions in grabbing Tess's shirt and yanking her back, stopped her from toppling over the edge and plummeting into the fast flowing river below. A glance in both directions showed no obvious way down. With a 20 foot drop into the river in front and walkers behind they had nowhere left to go. They were trapped.

**Thanks for reading**

**xx**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N Thanks for all the follows and favourites, really appreciate it. Hope every one has recovered from the MSF. Certain characters will remain with us in this fiction.**

**Enjoy**

**xxxx**

Chapter 8

Tess stared at him, her eyes wide with fear.

"What we going to do?" she gasped, her breathing fast as she tried to control her obvious terror. Daryl looked around desperately, there was only one solution he could see and he didn't like it at all.

"Nothing else for it" he told her "We're gonna have to jump and hope for the best"

She looked over her shoulder at the water below them. The current was fast but there was no way to tell how deep the water was. She glanced at the approaching walkers, shaking her head.

"I can't" He'd never seen her so scared "What if it's not deep enough? We'll get hurt and won't be able to get away" she was backing away as he reached out for her.

"We aint got a choice. We stay here they're gonna tear us apart. Least there's a chance if we jump" He grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the edge. Before she could pull away he threw himself over, dragging her with him.

They hit the water feet first, both taking in great mouthfuls of the icy cold water as they struggled to resurface. The water was deep and the current caught them, sweeping them along. Walkers were plunging over the edge, falling into the water around them, teeth still snapping as they tried to reach the fresh meat.

Coughing and choking, Tess fought to stay afloat. She had lost her rifle in the fall but had managed to keep ahold of her knife. She used it to take out several walkers that got too close, all the time trying to find Daryl. Finally she spotted him several feet away, his head was above the surface but he seemed to be struggling. Pushing the body of a walker away, fighting the strong current she began to swim towards him. He was fighting to keep his head above the water and she realised the weight of the heavy crossbow on his back, as well as the thick leather vest, were pulling him down. He was trying to free himself but the strap of the weapon had tangled with that of his bag and he was unable to pull either off. His head went below the water again as he fought fill his lungs with air. He knew he wasn't far from passing out from lack of oxygen but refused to give up. Just when he thought that was it, hands grabbed him, pulling him up. He gulped in great mouthfuls of air, his lungs burning as he choked in more water.

Tess used her knife to cut the bag strap, letting it fall away from him. Once that was gone she managed to get the crossbow over his head and he was finally able to keep himself afloat. Tess struggled to keep a grip on his prized weapon, it was all they had left and she didn't want to lose it, but it was so heavy and awkward. She was about to give up and let it go when the current started to slow and the river narrowed, becoming shallower. Trees lined either side, their lower branches hanging out over and into the water . Putting her arm through the strap of the unwieldy weapon Tess managed to grab hold of a thick branch, she saw Daryl had done the same and they dragged themselves to the bank. They collapsed side by side, both coughing and gagging on the water they had swallowed, both struggling to control their breathing.

Finally Tess sat up, without a word she passed Daryl his crossbow and he took it with a nod of thanks. They sat on the bank for a while longer, watching as walkers were swept past them. Some were snagged by the low branches and began to pull themselves towards the shore. Still without speaking they pulled themselves to their feet and wearily began to move away from the river. They were on the wrong side for the road back to the bike, soaking wet and almost weaponless. Daryl had lost several bolts whilst in the river, as well as his knife. Tess only had her knife and any other supplies they had were in Daryl's bag which was now on the river bed. They knew they were still in trouble.

Night was coming and it was getting cooler, both were shivering, shaking with cold in their wet clothes as they stumbled through the woods. They were exhausted, hungry and thirsty and knew they needed to find somewhere to shelter for the night.

Finally they came across an overgrown track and after following it for a couple of miles ended up on a paved road. Keeping hidden in the tree line they trudged parallel to the pavement until they came to a derelict fuel station. Tess banged on the door frame and they waited for any signs of movement. When it was all clear they made their way inside, closing the warped door and blocking it with a couple of shelving units. A through search found no food or water, just a couple of grubby, canvas tarpaulins. Knowing they should but both unwilling to undress out of the soaked clothes in front of each other they settled on removing outer shirts, boots and socks before wrapping themselves up in the dirty tarps, laying out the removed items in the vain hope they would dry by morning. As it got later it got colder and they reluctantly huddled together to keep warm, Tess nestled against Daryl's side as he awkwardly placed his arm around her, both tarpaulins wrapped around their bodies.

After a sleepless night uncomfortable in so many ways they pulled on the still damp socks, boots and shirts and set out to find a vehicle to get them home. Eventually they manage to find a small car on the side of the road. Once they had cleared out the two rotting corpses inside and got it started they headed back towards Daryl's abandoned bike. They found a bridge and crossed the river, getting to a mile or so from the bike when the car ran out of fuel and they were forced back on foot. Cautiously they approached where they expected the bike to be. The bodies of several walkers were on the road, neat holes where the skulls had been pierced by Daryl's bolts, but there was no sign of either the bolts themselves or the bike.

Two walkers ambled from the trees and headed towards them. With an angry roar of frustration Daryl snatched the knife from Tess's belt and charged towards them. He took both of them down easily but kept stabbing the fallen bodies repeatedly until he had vented all the anger inside.

Tess leant wearily against a tree trunk and waited patiently for him to finish. When he finally slumped down onto the road, letting the knife fall she pushed herself away from the tree and walked over, bending to pick up the knife.

"Feel better for that?" she enquired as she cleaned the blade on a walker's shirt.

"We aint got transport, we aint got weapons, food or water and we're 40 miles from home." He snarled "and some poxy bastard stole my bike and my bolts. Think I'm allowed to be pissed "

She shrugged "Maybe so, but it's not going to get us back any quicker" Checking the area for any threat, and without a backwards glance, she began to walk down the road. With a curse about damn, annoying women Daryl climbed to his feet and began to follow.

**Thanks for reading and please review.**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N **

**Please help!**

**I'm not sure whether to continue with this story or not. I've had no reviews since chapter 3 and barely any follows or favourites, (thanks again to those who have) despite almost 1000 views. I would love to know what I'm doing wrong. I realise it's not my best attempt but I didn't think it was that bad.**

**I try really hard to make my writing good and the only way to know for sure is from reader's feedback. Please let me know how I can improve as I don't want to waste my time or yours as readers, continuing if it's that bad.**

**I know it sounds like it but I'm not complaining or fishing for reviews, I love writing fan fiction and genuinely want to improve and I need your help to do so. Please let me know what you think, good or bad, constructive criticism is as helpful as a positive review. Feel free to PM me if you don't want to leave a comment in reviews.**

**Thanks for reading this extended note. I hope you enjoy the next chapter and that it's not the last.**

Chapter 9

It took over 4 days but finally the walls of the town came into sight. It had been a long, hard journey, with little food, water or rest. Each evening they had tried to find shelter when it became too dark to continue safely but most nights had been spent outside, one trying to sleep while the other kept watch.

Using bootlaces to make snares each night they had caught a couple of small rabbits and they'd found some berries and wild herbs but both were famished and looking forward to a good meal, a chance to clean up and a decent few hours' sleep.

Tess forced her exhausted legs to move faster, desperate to get inside the town. Before she could leave the cover of the forest, Daryl grabbed her shirt, pulling her abruptly back.

"Something aint right" he hissed, indicating the wall. She looked again, this time paying more attention.

"There's no one on watch" she glanced at him "There's always someone on lookout"

They edged closer, still keeping hidden. They could hear raised voices and laughter from inside the boundaries, men calling to each other, making raucous comments. A woman screamed and the laughter got louder.

"Bastards have found the town" Daryl's eyes were full of anger "Dumbasses must've lead 'em straight back here"

"We have to do something" Tess tried to move closer but Daryl pulled her back again.

"We're in no state to do anything right now. Remember Scott telling us 'bout a safe house couple of miles from here. We need to get there, get weapons and rest up while we make a plan" Reluctantly they moved away, knowing it was the right thing to do but feeling like they were abandoning their friends.

The house was well hidden among the trees, covered in ivy and other plant life, all but impossible to see if you didn't know it was there. Once inside they began to quietly work their way through each room, checking the place was empty. Tess opened the door to one of the bedrooms, knife in hand as she slipped inside. She froze as she heard a gun cocking behind her.

"Drop the knife and don't move" a scared female voice ordered. Tess couldn't help a smile as she recognised the soft accent.

"Beth?" She turned slowly, finding herself looking down the barrel of a rifle.

"Tess? Oh thank God!" The young blonde dropped the gun and launched forward, hugging Tess tightly. "We thought you were dead when you didn't come back from that run. Rick and Merle went to look for you and when they came back with Daryl's bike we all thought the worst had happened"

"Thought you'd know better by now" Daryl had entered the room behind them "keep telling you all only a Dixon can kill a Dixon" he smirked, tolerating a hug from the emotional girl.

Once they were back downstairs Beth insisted on fixing them something to eat as she explained what had happened.

"Scott and the others came back, they explained what had happened and everyone was on alert, looking out for these men. The second night you were missing, after Rick and Merle had got back; Maria insisted she took a turn on watch. She said she wasn't sleeping anyway 'cos of Daniel so she might as well let someone else get some rest" Beth hesitated as she handed over a plate to each of them. "We were woken by shouting and shots fired. Maria had let them in, turns out Daniel hadn't died, they'd taken him and grabbed her when she was out looking for him. They told her they'd kill him unless she co-operated and helped them take the town. She was dumb enough to believe them, told them where it was and opened the gate when they arrived. When she found out they killed Daniel as soon as she'd left, she went for the leader and they just gunned her down, right on the street. After that it was chaos, people shooting and fighting, others trying to run. Michonne and Merle came for me and Judith and they got us out. Merle went back for Jess and Michonne bought me here. She made sure I had a weapon then went back to help. That was two days ago and I've not seen anyone since. I couldn't leave Judith so I've just been waiting and hoping" Her eyes filled with tears "I don't know if anyone else made it"

Giving her a reassuring hug Tess exchanged glances with Daryl.

"We need to get back there, stake it out, see if we can see what's going on" She stated, Daryl nodded in agreement.

"You gotta stay here with asskicker a bit longer" he told Beth, shushing her as she began to protest.

"Tess aint no mama type so you gotta be the one to stay" he told her "Someone's gotta protect Jude and I know Rick trusts you to do it" She knew he made sense and reluctantly agreed.

From the provisions left at the house they gathered up what weapons they could find and set out for the town again. They planned to get as close as they could and make up the rest when they got there. Once again there was no one on watch and they managed to get right up to the fence. Keeping concealed in the undergrowth they watched for a while.

The men were tearing through the houses, taking what they wanted and destroying everything else. The townsfolk were bundled together in the town square, several armed men keeping watch on them. As they looked on one of them reached out and pulled a woman from the group.

"Always liked me a redhead" he jeered as he tugged a resisting Jess towards him. Daryl knew what was coming next and wasn't surprised when, with a roar of anger, Merle threw himself at the man, knocking both him and Jess to the ground. He'd got several blows in before being pulled off by three others. As he was dragged to his feet a grey haired man approached him.

"I guess I'm going to have to teach you a lesson" he snarled, leaning in closer to Merles face.

"No one attacks my people and gets away with it" Slowly he drew his gun, aiming it t Merle's temple.

Everything seemed to happen in slow motion after that, Daryl rose from hiding, his rifle coming up, pointing at the one aiming at his brother. The man swung his gun away from Merle and, without hesitation, fired once. The bullet caught Jess in the forehead, killing her instantly. Merle gave an anguished howl and wrenched himself free, ploughing into the man just as Daryl fired. The shot missed as Merle and Jess's killer lurched sideways.

Daryl cursed as several heads snapped round in his direction, guns following. Without looking at her he told Tess to move.

"They aint seen you yet, stay low and get yer ass outta here" he muttered "Get back to the house; get Beth and Jude and go. You gotta keep them safe" He knew she was protesting but didn't have time to argue.

"How's it gonna help if they get you as well?" Gunmen were cautiously approaching the inside of the fence, weapons aimed at him and he knew others would be there soon, leaving through the gate and circling round the outside. Briefly he considered opening fire and taking a few of them out but common sense told him he'd be dead in seconds. He let the rifle fall and kept his hands were they could be seen. He heard the approaching men before he saw them.

"Well look who isn't dead" a voice sneered and he recognised one of the men they'd left unconscious at the house.

"Where's the bitch?" he asked as he kicked the rifle away.

"Walker got her" Daryl stared defiantly at the man. Three others were scanning the area, looking for anyone else.

"That's a damn shame, Rob had plans for her" the man glanced at his colleagues "anything?" he questioned.

"Looks like the bastard's on his own" a beaded man replied, a grin on his face as he looked over at Daryl.

"Hey Chris, so this is the one that left you and Rich trussed up in that house. Bet you're looking forward to some payback"

Chris flashed him a grin in return.

"Hell yeah" he turned, lifting his gun "and it's gonna start right now" The last thing Daryl saw was the butt of the rifle approaching before he felt a blinding pain and darkness overtook him.

**Thanks for reading.**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N Despite a disappointing lack of reaction to the last chapter and my request for feedback I am going to finish this fiction for all those who are kindly following and favouriting. Many thanks to the lovely ireadtoomuch96 for the single review and the encouraging PM's. It's nice to know someone appreciates the sleepless nights and effort that goes into writing fanfiction. I'm not going to ask for reviews , I've decided to just write because I enjoy it.**

**Thanks for reading and Have a brilliant Christmas and a happy New Year.**

**xxxxxx**

Chapter 10

Daryl opened his eyes slowly, the bright sunlight causing pain to flare in his aching head. He gave himself a few seconds before trying to sit up, ignoring the dizziness that threatened to send him back down.

"Take it easy, don't try to move too quickly" Susan was at his side, a damp, bloodied rag in her hand as she attempted to clean the wound on the back of his head.

"Where's Merle?" he demanded, stumbling to his feet. At once Rick and Carol were there, supporting him. He noticed Rick's face was cut and bruised and he held his ribs as he moved. Carol had deep shadows under her eyes and a cut on her cheek. Glancing round he saw several others also showing signs of being beaten. There was no sign of Merle or Scott.

"Where's Merle?" he repeated, not liking the look exchanged between his two closest friends.

"We don't know" Rick told him quietly. "After he attacked their leader, a real ass called Rob, they took him away. They'd already taken Scott and David, we haven't seen them since these jerks took over this place"

"It seems anyone who crosses them or tries to fight back gets dragged off to be, in their words, 'taught a lesson'" Carol laid her hand on his arm.

"I'm sorry about Jess, she was good for Merle" Daryl gave a nod, not meeting her eyes.

"She was, aint never seen him like that over a woman before" Finally he looked up.

"He'll be ok, he's a tough son of a bitch, he'll survive what they do to him just to get payback on that asshole. He'll want vengeance for Jess" he took a deep breath, his head still pounding as he stole a look at the armed men guarding them, making sure none of them where within earshot.

"Is Tess here?" he asked suddenly, causing Rick and Carol to look at him in surprise.

"We haven't seen her since she left on the run with you. Did you get separated?" Rick questioned, confused by the relieved look that came over the hunters face.

"She must've done what I told her for once. Told her to get to Beth and Asskicker and get them the hell away from here" Daryl saw Ricks face change, relief sweeping over it.

"Judith's ok?" he breathed "I knew Merle and Michonne got her and Beth to the safe house but that was 2 days ago, it's good to know they're still okay"

"Beth's taking real good care of her, that girl'll die before she lets anything happen to Jude" Daryl confirmed what Rick already knew.

They saw Carol stiffen and she nudged Rick's arm, indicating slightly behind him. Turning they saw the group's leader, Rob, approaching, flanked by two of his men. Daryl saw it was Chris and the other man they'd left at the house, Rich.

"It's about time you woke up" Rob stopped in front of them, smiling at Daryl, the smile far more chilling than any snarl.

"It's time you and your brother learnt no one crosses me or harms my men" Chris and Rich stepped towards him, guns drawn as they gripped his arms, pulling him away from the others. When Rick tried to intervene, Rob struck him with the butt of his pistol, knocking him back.

"Best you don't interfere, if you know what's good for your kid" he glanced at Carl as he huddled next to an angry Michonne. "You don't want to see him get hurt do you?"

"Back off, Rick" Daryl met his friends eyes "Aint nothing these pussies can do to me that's not been done before"

Rob's smile grew wider.

"Don't be too sure about that. We're a pretty imaginative lot and we've plenty of time to kill. I think we may surprise you" he started to lead the way towards the biggest house.

As the men marched him away Daryl gave his friends a last look over his shoulder, trying to look confident and brave. He knew he wasn't fooling any of them.

Tess caught her breath as she moved deeper into the woods, heading back toward the safe house. She'd run when Daryl had told her, keeping low and under the cover of the undergrowth until she reached the treeline. She'd hidden herself behind a large tree, watching as the men had approached Daryl, recognising the one they'd left unconscious, she'd bit back a small cry of distress when she saw Daryl clubbed to the ground and she'd taken a few involuntary steps forward when the man had placed two well-aimed kicks to Daryl's ribs as he lay motionless, her hand tightening on the trigger of her gun. She'd forced herself back into hiding, knowing getting captured wouldn't help any of them.

She planned to return to the house, collect Beth and the baby and hit the road, finding somewhere safe away from the area. Her footsteps slowed as she thought of those left behind. She had never wanted to join their group, had only stayed after Woodbury because she knew the Governor would be after her. Somehow they had grown on her, earned her trust. They'd come back for her in the Governor's cells, they'd searched for her and then saved her life after the fall of the prison. Finally she stopped. There was no way she could leave them to the mercies of the gang. They were different from the other groups she'd been with, some more willingly than others. These were good people and she knew she had to help them. With a sigh she clicked the safety off her weapon and headed back the way she'd come.

Rob hadn't been joking when he'd said they were an imaginative lot. As they forced him into a chair and restrained his arms and legs Daryl could see the wounds on David's body; there was barely an inch that wasn't marked. The former soccer coach was chained to the wall in the basement of the house the gang were using as their headquarters. His eyes were milky and his teeth snapped as his lifeless body tried to free it's self from the shackles restraining it, trying to get to those still living nearby.

Scott was also chained and hurt but he was somehow still alive. His shirtless body was covered in deep cuts, bruises and burns. He tried to lift his head, looking at Daryl through the one eye he could still open.

"Did Tess make it?" he croaked through swollen, cracked lips.

Knowing Rob was listening Daryl had no choice but to lie.

"A walker got her when we was tryin' to get back" he told the battered man "I had to put her down"

Scott's head dropped again "She was one of the good ones" he said softly and Daryl thought he heard a choked sob from the man.

Rob laughed cruelly, grabbing Scott's hair and yanking his face up.

"Did you care for her?" he goaded "Chris tells me she was a real looker. It's a pity she didn't make it, we would have had fun with her before we killed her and you could have watched it all" He let go of Scott's hair, wiping his hand on the restrained man's chest.

"Don't worry, you'll be joining her soon" He commented casually as he turned away, heading toward the third occupant of the room.

Merle was tied to a chair in the middle of the room, hands and feet bound tightly, a grubby rag stuffed in his mouth. He glared at Rob with furious eyes as he struggle to break free.

Rob pulled the gag from his mouth.

"You going to watch that mouth of yours now?" he grinned as Merle let loose a stream of obscenities and threats.

"I guess not" he laughed and leant closer "You've seen what happened to those two, now it's time for us to have some fun. First we're going to hurt you, then, before you die, we're going to let you watch us hurt your brother, who miraculously isn't dead like you told us he was, at least not yet" As he spoke he picked up a large knife from a table, it's long blade already coated with dried blood.

Daryl fought and squirmed, yelling at the men, trying franticly to free himself as Rob approached Merle, a twisted expression on his face, the knife raised. He could only watch helplessly as the blade flashed down and he heard Merle's grunt of pain.

Rick pushed Carol's hand away as she tried to stop the bleeding from his cut lip. All he could think about was getting to Carl. Michonne had her arm around the boy, comforting him as she applied pressure to the cut on his cheek. Nearby Glenn was holding Maggie as Herschel checked her ribs. It had all happened so fast. Two men had come for Susan, saying she was the last of the group that had attacked them at the house and it was time for her to learn her lesson.

As they'd pulled her from the group several had acted instinctively, trying to protect her. Rick and Glenn had launched themselves forward, knocking one man down and pulling the woman free. Another had punched Rick hard, splitting his lip and he'd fallen back. Glenn had been grabbed and restrained by two others. Jon, one of the townsfolk, who'd known Susan since the start of the community, had been shot and killed as he tried to help her.

"Stop!" Susan's voice had rung out, strong and brave as she pulled herself to her full height.

"I don't want anyone else getting hurt for me" She'd started to walk towards the house, with more dignity and confidence than Rick had ever seen. Two of the men had followed and that had been the last they'd seen of her.

The remaining men had turned to them.

"You were told what would happen if you resisted" Before Rick could react a knife had been pulled and the blade flashed out. Carl had fallen back with a yelp of pain, a long gash down his left cheek. Glenn was still being restrained as another grabbed Maggie, yanking her forward.

"Don't wanna spoil that pretty face" he'd commented as he swung two hard punches into her stomach, leaving her winded and crumpled on the ground, her arm wrapped around her ribs protectively. After a last kick the men had left, with a final reminder that resistance would only cause trouble for those you cared about.

Now Rick was embracing his marked son, anger and frustration surging through him as he racked his brain for a way of escape. It was pouring with rain, thunder and lightning flashing as the group huddled together, parents trying to shield their children from the worst of the downpour, all furious, all desperate for a way out.

"Well will you look at that?" An amused voice caught his attention and Rick looked up to see what the armed man was commenting on. His heart sank at the sight in front of them.

Standing there, her hair matted and tangled, her jeans ripped and her shirt torn, one sleeve hanging from her shoulder as she held her empty hands out, was Tess.

**Hope you enjoyed it, next chapter up as soon as I get a chance.**

**Mistyeye**

**xxx**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N Hope you all had a great Christmas. I have a stinking cold so I've been banished to my bed to keep from infecting the rest of the family. It's almost lunchtime and I'm still in my PJs, reclining on pillows. eating chocolate, dosed up on cold medication and writing. Sadly it's the best day I've had in months.**

**Hope you enjoy this chapter, I'm already working on the next one.**

**Blame the medication for any errors :)**

**Thanks for reading**

**xxx**

Chapter 11

As Tess had made her way back towards the town the sky had darkened and the rain had started. Within minutes it was a full blown storm, soaking her to the skin. She realised the rain would be a blessing, its sound covering any noise she made and the heaviness of the storm driving the invaders to seek shelter inside.

Before she left the cover of the trees she used her knife to slice a few rips into her jeans and to tear the shoulder seam of her shirt, letting it hang loose, exposing the bare skin of her shoulder and upper arm. She also undid a couple more buttons and twisted her fingers through her long hair, making it look tangled and unruly.

The height of the fence, as well as the razor wire that topped it, made climbing over difficult but she managed it, gaining a few cuts to her hands and a few more rips in her clothes. As soon as her feet hit the ground she dashed for cover. Quietly she moved between the buildings, heading for the area she knew the others were being held. One of the men was standing a little in front of her, his gun over his shoulder as he relieved himself against a wall. She could hear him whistling to himself as he finished. She waited until he was zipping up before clamping her hand tightly over his mouth and cutting his throat quickly. His warm blood ran over her hand as she lowered his dying body to the ground. She backed away with shaking hands, staring at the knife she still grasped. She'd killed before, but always with a gun and always from a distance. This was the first time she had killed up close and it didn't sit well. Fighting back the feeling of nausea, and trying not to look at the still twitching form she gathered up the man's weapons, knowing they would be needed.

A few minutes later, after concealing the stolen stash, she stepped out into the open, meeting Rick's despairing eyes as she held her empty hands out, the closest two armed men approaching her, eying her up and down, she could see the other guards watching with interest, distracted from their duties.

"Where you come from darlin'?" one of them leered, as they took in the torn clothes, the wild hair and the flesh on show.

"Please" she rasped, making her voice husky and helpless. "You've got to help me, I can't make it out there on my own any more" She lowered her eyes "I'll do anything if you let me stay here"

The men exchanged looks, grins on their faces as she raised her head, tears in her hazel eyes.

Reaching out and caressing her exposed shoulder one of the men moved closer, leaning his face close to hers.

"I bet we can come to a real sweet agreement, you be nice to us and we'll take real good care of you" His eyes were drawn to the open neckline of her shirt and his other hand reached towards the next button. She heard his companion laugh.

"Maybe we can get a little look at what you got going on under that shirt" he sneered, licking his lips as his eyes raked over her.

Tess smiled and her hand moved quickly, the knife she'd concealed in the back of her waistband sinking into the first man's stomach. As he fell to the ground she pulled the blade free and swung it towards the second man but he moved faster than she expected, grabbing her wrist and twisting it hard. The knife fell from her grip and he forced her arm behind her, pulling her against him.

"You are so gonna pay for that" he growled, his free hand reaching for his own knife. Tess struggled to break free from his grip but he was too strong. She saw the rain dripping from the blade as it moved towards her face, the man grinning as she fought to get away.

"You're not going anywhere" he told her, the tip of the knife touching her cheek just firmly enough to draw blood. "Not 'till I've taught you a lesson or two"

He turned the blade so it lay flat against the side of her face, sliding it down towards her neck.

"Little girl like you shouldn't be messin' with the grown-ups" he told her as the cold, wet metal touched the delicate skin of her throat. Suddenly he was wrenched from her, her arm pulled painfully as he was thrown to the floor, whimpering in agony as he tried to reach for the wound in his back. Rick stood over him, eyes wild as he clutched Tess's discarded knife, it's handle slick with blood. Behind him Tess could see Michonne, Glenn and several others struggling with the rest of the guards. Several shots were fired, the sounds muffled by the pounding rain and crashing thunder.

It was all over in a few moments, the men either dead or injured and the townsfolk finally free. Quickly they moved to the closest house, keeping the children gathered together in the centre of the group as they hurried inside.

Tess looked around, realising several were missing.

"Where are they?" she demanded "Scott, David, Susan?" she hesitated, trying to hide the slight catch in her voice.

"Where's Daryl and Merle?"

"They took them all, everyone that was at the house where you were attacked. We don't know what's happened to them" Carol explained as she helped Herschel deal with those that had been injured in their escape. Glenn had taken a shot to the shoulder, fortunately the bullet had passed straight through and even though he had lost a lot of blood it wasn't life threatening. Charlotte, a young woman from the town hadn't been as lucky. She'd been shot in the stomach and there was nothing they could do for her. She lay with her head her friends lap as her life slipped away. Tess turned away unable to watch as Charlotte fought for breath.

"It's not your fault she got hurt" Michonne was at her side. "If you hadn't come along and gave us that distraction, we'd probably all been dead soon. We'd have tried to escape and just been gunned down. I guess you saved us all" As she turned away she gave a Tess's arm a reassuring squeeze.

"I'm glad you came back" she said quietly.

Tess nodded, managing a small smile as Rick approached them. He held out a rifle, offering it to Tess.

"We're gonna find the others. I guess you want to be there" Blue eyes met brown, both sets determined and hard. Tess took the gun, prepared to do what was necessary to find and rescue the rest of her friends.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N This ones a bit short but chapter 13 is almost done. That's probably going to be the last one and will hopefully be up tomorrow. **

**Thanks to 89kw for favouriting me and so many of my other stories, I really appreciate it.**

**Enjoy**

**xx**

Chapter 12

Merle fought to stay conscious, he couldn't remember another time when he'd hurt so much and he'd suffered a lot of beatings in his life. Rob and Chris had worked him over thoughly using fists and blades. If he hadn't been in so much pain he would have been impressed with their skill and knowledge of how to cause the maximum damage without letting the victim die. At one point they had all heard a woman cry out from another room, her voice full of pain and terror. Rob and Chris had stopped what they were doing, laughing at the sound.

"Guess Rich and the others are teaching that bitch good and proper" Rob had chuckled. Daryl had renewed his struggles to get free, anger and frustration fuelling him as he cursed and threatened them.

"She mean something to you?" Chris had laughed, leaning in close to Daryl's face "Too old for my liking, but I guess whatever does it for you. Too bad there aint gonna be much left when they all finished". Daryl somehow managed to rip one arm free and grab the sneering man by the throat, half choking him before Rob had managed to pull him off. After that they had forgotten about Merle, concentrating on Daryl.

Merle was proud of his baby brother's silence during his ordeal. He hadn't made a sound, even when they had heated a blade on a camping stove and pressed the hot metal to the flesh of his chest. He'd gritted his teeth and glared straight into Rob's face.

"That the worse you got?" he'd snarled. Unfortunately it wasn't and now Merle found himself wishing his brother would just give in and pass out. He didn't know how much more his battered body would be able to take.

Rob seized Daryl by the hair, forcing his head up, making him look towards Merle. Chris was behind him and he reached out, grabbing Merle in a head lock, dragging his head back and exposing his throat.

"Have to say I'm actually impressed with you two" Rob commented "Lasted a whole lot longer than anyone else we ever worked on" He leaned down, close to Daryl's ear.

"However, we need to move on. Say goodbye to your brother, but don't worry you'll be joining him pretty soon" He let go of Daryl's hair, stepping away as he nodded to Chris.

"Do it" he ordered.

Chris smirked as he lay his knife against Merle's throat. The two brothers locked eyes.

"See you soon bro" Merle croaked out as Chris began to draw the knife slowly across his neck. Daryl couldn't look away as he saw the thin line of blood begin to seep down his sibling's neck.

His confused mind wasn't sure what happened next but suddenly Chris was on the floor, most of his head missing. Rob was flung backwards, clutching his bleeding thigh as he writhed on the basement floor. Dimly he heard Merles voice yelling at someone, telling them to leave the bastard, that he was going to be the one to deal with the murdering piece of crap.

He was aware of the ropes binding him being cut and hands supporting him as his exhausted body slumped forward. He pushed the hands away, trying to stand but it was too much. The floor rushed towards him as his legs gave out and the hands returned, just stopping him hitting the hard concrete floor.

When he opened his eyes again he was lying in a soft bed, clean sheets covering him and fluffy pillows beneath his head. Glancing down he realised he was shirtless and a quick peek under the covers revealed nothing but underwear and bandages. He pulled the blankets tightly up to his chin and just that small movement sent shockwaves of pain running through his entire body.

"Don't try to move too much, you'll open up the stitches again" Tess uncurled herself from the arm chair at the side of the bed, moving closer as he tried to pull the covers higher over himself, feeling his face get hot, knowing he was blushing like a dumb school kid at the thought of her seeing him so exposed.

She perched on the edge of the bed, her face expressionless as she held out a glass of water.

"You want some?" At his nod she tucked her hand behind his neck, helping him lift his head enough to drink.

"Where's Merle?" He croaked, voice hoarse, throat still dry.

"He's in the next room. He's hurt but doing okay. Herschel's with him now" Tess glanced at him

"David, Scott and Susan didn't make it" she told him softly, shuddering at the memory of entering the house and seeing Susan's beaten, broken body, Rich standing over her, fists still bloody as he grinned down at her motionless form. Killing him with her knife hadn't felt wrong.

She had followed Rick, Michonne, Carol and Maggie into the basement in time to see Rick shoot Chris, saving Merles life. Michonne had fired at Rob, injuring him, leaving him for Merle to finish off in retaliation for Jess. Merle had finished the job before passing out and being carried off to be treated by Herschel. His injuries were severe but he would recover, albeit with a permanent scar from the cut on his throat. Even though he said nothing they all knew his greatest pain, and the one that would take longest to heal, was losing the feisty red head he had come to love.

David was already dead and turned when they crashed into the basement and Carol had been the one to finish him, finally laying the man to rest. They had freed the barely alive Scot from the shackles holding him and carefully lowered him to the ground. Tess had rested his head in her lap and stroked his hair gently, talking softly to him as he faded away. He had groped for her hand and she'd gripped it tightly as he opened his eyes and stared up at her.

"Knew you liked me really" he whispered, as she fought back the tears to smile down at him. His eyes had closed and his body gave a shudder as his final breath slipped from him. Carefully Tess had laid his head on the ground and used her knife to prevent him from turning. He, David and Susan had been buried in a small grassy area at the edge of the town, simple crosses marking their final resting place.

All of the surviving men had been rounded up and, at Rick's instruction, shown no mercy. Those bodies had been dragged outside and burned a short distance away from the town boundaries.

The injured had been treated and those lost buried alongside Scott and the others. The town had lost 18 people as a result of the attack, including Maria and Daniel. It was a hard blow that would take a long time to recover from.

Rick and Michonne had gone to the safe house and bought Beth and Judith back and the long process of restoring the town had begun.

**Thanks for reading.**


	13. Chapter 13

A/N Last chapter, hope you like it.

Thanks for reading

xxxx

Chapter 13

As soon as Herschel allowed him to Daryl went to see Merle. They sat silently, not needing to speak to communicate. An awkward pat on the arm was Daryl's way of expressing his sympathy for his older brother's loss and a brief nod in return was all that was needed to show appreciation of the gesture. Finally Daryl rose to leave, Merles voice stopping him at the door.

"Skinny ass girl likes you, do somethin' 'bout it before it's too late" he barked out abruptly.

Daryl narrowed his eyes, staring at Merle in confusion.

"Hell you talkin' about?" he frowned.

"Her with them big brown eyes, Tess. She was a mess when you was hurt and out of it. While he was looking out for me ole farmer Herschel said she wouldn't leave your side. Officer Friendly had to all but carry her out the room so the Doc could look you over" Merle gave him a knowing grin.

"Sounds to me like she's got an itch needs scratching" he laughed crudely before his face turned serious again.

"You like her do something 'bout it now. Don't know how long any of us got left"

Daryl shrugged "I aint ever thought about her like that, most of the time she's a pain in the ass" He reached for the door handle.

"When we was getting the crap kicked out of us and that woman was screaming, you think it was her? That why you started to fight so hard to get outta there?" Merle saw the hesitation and ploughed on.

"Aint many chances left now, can't afford to miss out if one comes along"

Daryl wrenched open the door.

"Talking a whole loada bull" he snarled "You get hit on the head too hard or somethin'?" Without looking back he strode from the room, leaving Merle with a satisfied smirk on his face.

Tess saw Daryl as he stomped away from his brother's room. He saw her and stopped, staring hard, his expression unreadable, before turning and walking in the opposite direction. She shrugged and headed towards Merles room, taking the meal Carol had prepared for him.

She handed him the plate and went to leave but he called her back.

"You gonna sit and keep ole Merle company for a while?" he tried to smile charmingly but it was more of a grimace.

"Why?" Tess was curious "You don't like me and I'm not that fond of you either" she told him honestly.

Merle choked on his mouthful, holding back a laugh.

"You gone and hurt my feelings now, girl" he told her "Everybody loves a bit of Merle"

With a sigh Tess sat on the edge of the bed.

"What do you want?" she asked.

Merle watched her as he finished his mouthful. She was good looking enough he supposed, maybe just a bit skinny for his taste. She had a mouth on her and an attitude he appreciated.

"What did you do before all this started?" he asked suddenly.

She looked surprised, he'd never shown any interest in her before.

"I worked in advertising, designed magazine ad campaigns for several clothing companies" she told him "Why'd you want to know?"

"Just makin' small talk" He stuffed another forkful of food into his mouth.

"You have a boyfriend or somethin'?" he mumbled around the food, causing her to pull a disgusted face.

"God, you're revolting" she complained "and if its anything to do with you I had a husband"

"What happened to him?" he asked as he scooped up more food.

"I don't know" her voice was quiet "He was out of town on a business trip when all this happened and I was at home with …" she stopped and turned away but not before he saw the sadness in her face.

"With what?" he prompted

She span round to face him, jumping to her feet, suddenly angry.

"None of your damn business" she snapped as she stormed out of his room.

Daryl saw her leave, heading towards the gate. Before those on duty could stop her she pulled it open and hurried outside, disappearing into the trees.

"I got this" he waved the puzzled guards back, pulling the gate closed behind him as he followed her obvious trail. There was no need to track as she was making enough noise to attract every walker for miles. Every so often he came across a body, most with obvious head wounds but one with its skull completely crushed in, as if done in a fit of temper.

He couldn't hear her anymore, so he slowed to look for a trail. As he approached a large tree a small figure leapt out, knife raised and heading for his skull. His reactions were slower than usual but still fast enough to grab the wrist holding the weapon and force the arm back. Tess gave a yelp as he shoved her back, slamming her against the trunk of the nearest tree.

"Let go of me!" she tried to pull her wrist free, her anger obvious.

"Not 'till I'm sure you aint gonna stick that thing in my head" Daryl kept her arm pinned against the trunk.

"You were making so much noise behind me I thought you were a walker" she tried to push him away.

"I was trying not to sneak up on yer" He loosened his hold on her arm "Didn't want to scare you"

Tess slipped her knife back into its sheath, rubbing her sore wrist as she glared up at him. At the same time they both realised just how close they were standing and Daryl quickly jumped back.

"The hell Merle say to you, get you all riled up that this?" Daryl took a few more steps away from her, aware of what Merle had told him and not sure what to do about it.

"He was prying, asking questions I didn't want to answer, bringing back things I wanted to forget" Her voice was quiet and he noticed her eyes shiny with unshed tears.

"Don't pay no heed to him, he's an asshole at times" He turned towards the town "We need to get back, you freaked them out running off like that"

He'd taken a few steps when her soft voice stopped him.

"His name was Peter and he was five years old"

He faced her again, disturbed to see the tears now flowing.

"What you talkin' about?" he looked around helplessly, hoping someone else would miraculously appear, he didn't have a clue how to deal with this.

"My son, we were at home when all this started. My husband was out of town, I never heard from him again. The two of us only just managed to get out of the city before it was napalmed. I was a city girl, I had no idea how to survive on my own so we joined a group we met on the road. We had a camp about 20 miles from Atlanta and stayed there a few months. It was hard but we were surviving. One night a pack of about 50 walkers came through. There were too many to fight and we had to run. We couldn't lose them, they just kept coming"

Without realising it he'd moved closer to her, still wishing he was somewhere else.

"Some of the men decided we needed a distraction, something to keep them busy while we escaped. They dragged him, screaming from my arms, holding me back as they threw him into the pack" her voice broke as she continued.

"I tried to go to him, just wanted to die with him but one of the men hit me, knocking me out. When I came to we were miles away. I couldn't stay with them after that and slipped away first chance I got" she scrubbed the tears away, pulling herself up.

"Sorry, don't know why I told you that" she managed a small smile "I've made you uncomfortable now haven't I?"

He shrugged "Don't matter 'bout me. Just feel bad I don't know what to say to make you feel better"

"You listened, that's enough. I've not told anyone before. It feels good to have said it out loud" She walked past him. "We should get back, it's getting late"

"That why you didn't wanna be part of a group again?" he followed "Cos you can't trust anyone after that"

She nodded.

"After that I was alone for several weeks. I was almost dead, starved and freezing when I stumbled onto a farm. The farmer and his wife took me in and cared for me. I stayed there for a long time. Then another group arrived and the farmer took them in as well. When supplies began to run out they killed the farmer and his wife, saying they were old and just a liability, a waste of resources. They thought I'd be okay with it. I left that night and I'd been surviving alone until I met you and Rick."

She stopped, turning to face him.

"When you all came back for me at Woodbury I realised that there were still good people out there. You proved that again when you kept searching for me after the prison fell. That's why I couldn't just leave with Beth. I had to come back. I don't want to be alone again."

They were almost in sight of the gate when the walkers came from nowhere. Six of them lumbered from the trees, arms out stretched. Tess's knife was instantly in her hands and she leapt towards the nearest one. Daryl cursed the fact he'd left his crossbow behind as he joined her, knife flashing. It didn't take long for them to put down the six, working side by side. Sides heaving as she fought for breath Tess managed to flash him a grin at a job well done. The grin faded as she saw a seventh walker lunge forward, it crashed into Daryl's back, knocking him from his feet. He lost his grip on his knife and Tess saw the walkers teeth close in on his shoulder. With a yell she gripped it by the hair, yanking it's decaying head back, both of them falling to the ground. Twisting out from underneath the thrashing body Tess drove the blade deep into its soft skull. She pulled herself to her knees scrambling over to where Daryl lay still, face down. She could see his sides heaving as she reached for him.

"Please no" she whispered as she tried to pull his jacket from his shoulder, checking for a bite. With a groan he rolled over, knocking her hand away.

"Get off" he protested "I aint bit" He struggled to sit, hand clutching his ribs. "Still banged up from those assholes, fall hurt like a bitch, winded me for a while"

They both suddenly realised that they were sitting very close and Tess's leg was somehow tangled between his, her hand still resting on his shoulder. He didn't know how it happened but his hand was sitting comfortably on her waist. This time neither made an effort to move apart.

"I thought…." Tess began "I couldn't…." again she trailed off, not knowing what to say. He found his other hand had moved without him even knowing, now resting on the other side of her slim waist. Her free hand was covering his, where it rested against his aching ribs.

At the sound of a throat clearing the moment was lost. Rick was standing nearby, Michonne just behind him. Both were failing to hide smiles at the sight of the two of them entangled together, surrounded by bodies.

"Guys on the gate said the two of you just left without weapons. We thought we'd better come see if you were okay." Rick grinned again "I guess you were doing fine"

"Aint doin' nothin'" Daryl let go of Tess's waist and scrambled to his feet, leaving her sitting alone. Without a backward glance he strode off, ignoring the disapproving look from Michonne.

Rick held out a hand and pulled Tess to her feet.

"You alright?" he asked, indicating the walkers scattered around them.

With a curt nod she pushed past him and headed for the town.

Rick and Michonne exchanged amused looks.

"A match made in heaven" She quipped as they ambled back to the gate.

By the time she arrived at the gate there was no sign of Daryl. Tess made her way to the Greene's house, planning to clean up and get some rest.

Beth was there with Judith.

"Are you okay?" she took in the blood stained clothes and red rimmed eyes.

Tess nodded, "Fine, I think the last few days are catching up. I need to freshen up and get something to eat. Is it okay to use your bathroom?"

"Go ahead, I've got to take Judith back to Rick but you just take your time." Beth smiled at her as she gathered up the baby's belongings.

Tess had just filled the basin with tepid water and was about to strip off to wash when the door to the small bathroom opened.

"Shit" Daryl backed out of the room "Glenn said it was okay to use it, didn't know you was here"

Before she could think about it Tess reached out and grabbed hold of his shirt, pulling him into the confined space. She kicked the door shut and shoved him back against it.

"The hell you doin?" he tried to push her back but she moved closer, pinning him in place.

"Shut up" Tess leaned closer, letting go of his shirt, her hand reaching behind his neck. She felt him tense up as she pulled his head down, her lips meeting his. She was about to pull away when his arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her closer. It was awkward and uncertain but she felt him respond to the kiss. When they finally separated he wouldn't meet her eyes, letting her go abruptly as he reached for the door handle.

"I gotta go" he stammered, almost running from the room. With a small smile Tess watched him go. She wasn't worried, she knew he'd be back for more.

Once she felt clean again she went downstairs. All the survivors from the prison group were there. Beth and Carol had prepared a meal, laughing together as they worked, and everyone was settling down to tuck in. She saw Carl smiling as he played with Judith, her baby giggles filling the room. Rick was talking with Michonne, their heads close together as they held their own private conversation. Maggie was on Glenn's lap, fussing over his injured shoulder, while Herschel smiled indulgently at his eldest daughter and her husband. The door opened and Merle limped in, followed by Daryl. As she leant on the doorframe she caught Daryl staring at her, the look in his eyes making her stomach flip. Even Merle's knowing smirk, as he looked between them , couldn't spoil the moment.

As she took in each and every one of them Tess knew she was exactly where she wanted to be and she would never be alone again.

**END**

**Hope you enjoyed it. A bit sappy, I know. I hadn't really planned on Daryl and Tess getting together but changed it for ireadtoomuch96 as a thank you for all the lovely support and PMs.**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N This wasn't planned at all, I thought I'd finished then had a very long and boring car journey, which gave me far too much time to think. I stayed up until 3.30 in the morning to get it written down so please let me know what you think. I said I wouldn't ask for reviews but I freely admit it, I'm a review tart and I really do want them, so pretty please oblige me.**

**Thanks for **

Epilogue – Six years later.

Daryl could feel the cold seep into his bones as he paced the tower, keeping watch, protecting the town and the people in it. Glancing up at the overcast sky he thought there would probably be snow by the morning. He stamped his feet and rubbed his arms, trying to get some heat into his body.

"Getting too damn old for this" he muttered to himself as he swung the rifle over his shoulder and shoved his hands into his pockets. He'd taken to using the rifle with its long distance sights, rather than his trusty crossbow when he found his eyesight was no longer as good as it had once been. It had been a shock to realise he was now much nearer to 50 than 40.

As he paced his glance drifted to the town itself. It had changed a lot in the last six years. After the attack that had cost them 18 good people they had reinforced the barriers even more, the gate had been covered in sheet metal, scavenged from building sites in the nearest towns, heavy beams now held it closed and a cleverly designed pulley system was used to open and close it.

In the town square he could see Rick and Michonne, close together as usual, as they poured over maps, always looking for new places to search, always planning on ways to protect the inhabitants. The announcement four years ago that they were together hadn't been a surprise to anyone. Their relationship had been one of the towns worse kept secrets.

Carl, now a tall, strong 18 year old was nearby, Judith by his side as ever. A lively 7 year old she worshiped her older brother and was never far away from him.

He could see Maggie and Glenn, working side by side, doing something in one of the many vegetable gardens. Their 3 year old son, Shawn, named for Maggie's brother was with Beth, as she helped Carol with the laundry.

He shivered as he turned back to watch out across the roadway leading to the gate. The small community now numbered about 70 people, over the last few years they had taken in several newcomers, cautiously keeping them in a separate fenced off area until they could decide if they were trustworthy or not. They had also lost people in that time, including his own brother, Merle.

They had both made a full recovery after their ordeal at the hands of the men that had attacked them but Merle hadn't been the same after losing Jess. He became reckless, insisting on going on every run, taking more and more risks with his life. Finally, less than a year later, it had happened, he'd been bitten trying to save another man from an impossible situation. They had both been bought home, both already showing the signs of the fever. Merle had fought to hang on until Daryl had returned from the hunting trip he was on. He still remembered Tess's face as she greeted him at the gate, leading him to the room Merle was laying in. He remembered her hand on his shoulder, a comforting touch as the others had all backed out of the room. She had left as well, leaving the brothers to their final moments together alone. Less than an hour later he had left the room, dry eyed as he slipped his knife back into its sheath.

"It's done" was all he said before disappearing into the forest for two days. Tess was waiting for him when he returned, silently pulling him into a hug, letting him know he wasn't alone.

He couldn't help a small smile at the thought of Tess. After that first unexpected kiss in the bathroom at the Greene's house he'd fought against his growing attraction to her. He hadn't wanted to run the risk of becoming close to someone then loose her. He'd seen what it had done to Rick, when Lori died and again when Merle had lost Jess. Tess had different plans. Once she had decided what she wanted she was relentless. Carol and Merle were on her side, her because she was a sucker for a romance story and him because he wanted for his brother what he'd had, albeit briefly. They did everything they could to get them together, but it had been a near disaster that had done it. They'd gone on a run with a group and stumbled into a small herd. Tess had been pinned down by a walker, unable to get to her weapons as a second approached and he'd only just got there in time. It was almost losing her that made him stop being so dumb and accept he needed her.

His smile faded as he thought this was the second winter since she'd left on a supply trip and never returned. He still hadn't forgiven himself for leaving to go on the week long hunting trip, knowing she was sick and knowing how stubborn she was.

A sickness had gone through the town, some kind of stomach virus. The children and the elderly had been the most vulnerable. They had lost 5 youngsters and 4 of the older residents, the most heart-breaking being Herschel. He had insisted on caring for those affected and finally succumbed to the sickness himself. Maggie and Beth had been distraught as they watched their father gradually fade away, unable to do anything for him but offer comfort.

Several adults had caught it but they were able to get through it in a few days. With Tess it seemed she had been ill for weeks. She was always pale and tired, unable to keep any food down, what little weight she had falling from her. Finally she started to show signs of improvement and he decided it was okay to leave her to go on the pre-arranged trip to restock the stores with meat.

He left with 4 other hunters and returned a week later to find she had left with a group of four to go on a short trip for more building supplies. They were meant to be back the same day and now, three days later, there was still no sign of them. Despite the fact that Rick, Michonne and Glenn had searched for them he insisted on going out himself. In the builders supply yard there were signs of a struggle, several walker bodies and fresh car tracks in the area. He spent a long time trying to follow the tracks but once they hit the pavement there was no way of knowing which direction they had taken. Finally he had to accept that she was gone.

With a sign he turned and continued to pace the watch tower. A movement in the distance caught his eye. He raised the rifle, using the sights to help see. He could just make out a small group making their way down the road. As they got closer he could make out the numbers, surprised to see a horse pulling a small, tarpaulin covered wagon. Not many livestock animals had survived this long.

"Rick!" he yelled, turning to look at his friend "Got a group coming in, looks like about eight, got a horse 'n' cart" He continued to watch them as Rick began to jog over.

As the small group got closer he could see they were wearing what looked like hooded cloaks, made from blankets. As they walked the cloaks opened slightly and he noticed they were lined with animal pelts. More pelts were strapped around their legs and the hunter in him found himself impressed with the ingenuity of the idea.

Rick had joined him on the tower as the party of strangers reached the gate. The one in front stepped forward, hands raised as they pulled the hood away from their face, looking directly up at the men on the tower.

Daryl froze as he found himself looking into a pair of familiar hazel eyes. He heard Rick laugh out loud as he gave the order to open the gate. He forced his legs to move and threw himself down the tower's steps. The gate was still creaking open as he raced through it. Tess was heading towards him and they crashed together, almost falling to the frozen ground. He wrapped his arms around her , holding her close, feeling her arms around his waist as she clung to him.

"Looked for you, thought you was dead" he mumbled into her hair, before pushing her back, studying her. She was as thin as ever, her hair longer than before but still as beautiful as he remembered, her face calm and serene as she returned his gaze.

"Where the hell you been?" he demanded gruffly, trying to hold back his emotions at seeing her for the first time in more than a year.

He heard her laugh as she pulled him close again.

"Missed you too" she pulled his head down, giving him a searing kiss that took his breath away.

"Let's get you all inside, somewhere warm, then you can tell us everything" Rick was at her side, giving her a quick hug as they moved through the gate, into the town.

As they walked towards the house they used as a meeting place, Tess caught his hand, stopping him.

"I've something I need to tell you" she started nervously. He tensed, irrationally expecting her to tell him she'd met someone else and didn't want him anymore.

"You remember the sickness going round and how I seemed to have it longer than everyone else?" as she spoke she turned to the woman leading the horse and wagon. The woman gave her an encouraging smile and began to undo the covering over the wagon.

Tess faced him again.

"Turns out I wasn't sick" she said as the woman handed her a heavily wrapped bundle. With a deep breath Tess stepped closer, holding the bundle towards him.

"Meet Abigail, Abbie for short" she whispered.

Stupidly he stared at the small, sleepy face gazing up at him from the thick blankets. Big blue eyes stared unflinching as a tiny hand wriggled out and reached for him.

"Say something" Tess was looking at him, worry obvious in her face.

"I don't …, I mean who…, How…?" he stammered, no idea what to say.

"I really don't think I have to explain the how" she laughed "and as for the who, she's yours of course"

Before he could say anything else there was a loud shriek as Maggie spotted the child.

"God help us all, it looks like there's another Dixon in the world" she shouted as she rushed over, closely followed by Beth and Carol.

They were all swept up and hurried inside out of the cold, the women all cooing and fussing over the baby and Tess.

Finally Daryl had had enough.

"Get the hell out the damn way and let me see my kid" he bellowed, startling everyone. Quickly Rick ushered the others out of the room, leaving them alone.

Tess had removed the blankets and Abbie was laying on the couch, sucking her thumb and gurgling happily. Daryl stood over her looking down, still in a state of shock.

"I'm sorry" Tess was at his side "I shouldn't have gone out on that trip. I thought I was up to it but clearly I wasn't. We were loading the truck when walkers came from nowhere. I was too weak to defend myself so they pushed me onto the roof of the truck, out of reach and died protecting me. I still can't forgive myself for that. The walkers were reaching for me and I thought it was the end when two cars pulled up and the people inside shot the last walkers. I felt so sick I passed out and when I woke up we were miles away. I was delirious for several days and this new group cared for me. It wasn't long after that we worked out what was really wrong with me. We found a house and holed up there for the next few months, until she was born. As soon as we were able we started to head back here. We had no vehicles by this time, but were lucky enough to find the horse and then a wagon. It's taken months to get here" She watched as he stared down at his child, still not saying anything.

"I didn't even know if you'd still be here. When I saw you on the tower I knew it had been worth the hardship to get back" She knew she was rambling but his silence was un-nerving her.

He moved closer to the couch, dropping to his knees at its side. Carefully he reached out and touched a tiny hand. Instantly Abbie gripped his finger, trying to pull it to her mouth.

"That's a hell of a grip" he commented quietly as he continued to watch her.

"You want to hold her?" Tess fidgeted next to him, still unsure of his reaction.

He shot her a panicked look.

"Can't, I'm all dirty, I might drop her" he stood quickly and moved away, but she caught his arm and pulled him back.

"She won't mind a bit of dirt and if you sit here you won't drop her" She pushed him onto the couch and before he could protest anymore lay the baby in his arms.

As Daryl gazed at his daughter he thought he'd never seen anything so beautiful. He couldn't believe something so pure could come from him and was terrified he would do something to spoil it. His own father was a monster and he didn't know if he could be any different.

As if she could read his mind Tess spoke up.

"You're nothing like your father, I know you would never hurt your child, just as I know you would never hurt me. I trust you with both of our lives. All I could think of , after she was born, was getting back here to you. If I thought there was a risk then you'd never even know about her"

Her words got through and he raised his head.

"This one's gonna have everything I can give her. She aint gonna worry 'bout nothin'" He settled Abbie against his chest, supporting her with one arm as he used his free hand to pull Tess down next to him, giving her that familiar smirk, the one she'd missed so much.

"Abbie?" he laughed "just like on the day we met, when you was tryin' to steal our car" She grinned back at him.

"It was the only name I could think of that had a connection to you" she lay her head on his chest, content for the first time in months.

"And you aint going out on any runs, not without me" He pulled her closer "Aint losing you again"

Just before their lips met he heard her laugh.

"I'm not going anywhere without either of you again, I promise"

**END (again)**

**I hope you liked it. I've never done a Dixon baby storybefore but once the idea got into my head I couldn't get rid of it. Please let me know what you thought.**

**Thanks for reading and have a happy new **


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